How does the author use symbolism in the book, Win: A Novel?

The narrative opens as the fans at the NCAA basketball championship game wait for the game's final shot to determine its outcome. The championship game symbolizes the lives of many of the characters in the narrative. The players have worked hard to get to this point. However, they cannot control how the shot falls and this is the factor that will determine their fate. Likewise, many of the characters in the narrative have worked hard to hide secrets, build reputations, or prevent history from repeating itself. However, an event, that is out of their control determines their fate. For example, Ry worked hard to hide his whereabouts for many years. However, an incident that was out of his control, the bank robbery in which the robbers took the contents of the safe deposit boxes because they could not get a lot of cash, leads to his murder.