The Shadow of the Rose Garden is consistently popular in the world-wide selected short stories by readers. The author Lawrence King is adept in making the feeling and setting happily blended. This novel is a typical example of symbolism and synaesthesia. Through analyzing the application of symbolism in The Shadow of the Rose Garden, this article exposes the theme： Superficially, Lawrence wants to show that shadows are everywhere in the life, but in fact he wants to define his position, not to narrate, but to indict the war openly and silently many families are broken because of it. The separation of lovers does not only in the novel, hut its influence is beyond our expectations, and it can even erode the entire human race.