The dolphin in “The Pod” is symbolic and also has to do with Jesse starting to care. In the passage, i think the dolphin represents family. I say this because when Jesse took care of the dolphin, he realized how important family really is. The dolphin helps give deeper understanding to readers because in the text the dolphin is like Jesse. Also, when the dolphin finally went back into the water, Jesse then realized that his parents are probably worrying about him.
