How does the author use symbolism in the novel, The Way Back?

The author uses the spoon as a symbol of the Dark Messenger's role as the creature who scoops out the life force of the person who dies. There is a bit of irony here in that the “weapon” is not a knife, though the edges of the spoon are very sharp. Near the end of the novel, Yehuda Leib sees the weapon as a knife, indicating that this weapon can change form, just as the Dark Messenger does.