What does the stump symbolize?

The stump is most important inanimate symbol in the book. Working at the job alone, Joe has barely been able to make any noticeable progress in removing it. So curiously stubborn has the stump been n its refusal to budge that Joe has even come to admire it for its tenacity. The symbolic value is expressed through the fact that it is only when Shane enters into an unwritten contract with Joe that the stump is finally defeated. That unwritten contract is in the spirit of cooperation to achieve two distinct goals: Joe needs Shane’s help to remove the stump and Shane senses something about this family that makes him want to stay for a while. The stump is removed and Shane is given a temporary home. Cooperation, not competition, satisfies two needs rather than one. Or none.