How does Anita Desai use symbolism to develop a theme in "Games at Twilight"?

The first thing to do for this question is to pick a particular symbol. My recommendation is to go with the game of hide-and-seek. I believe that the game is symbolic of life in general. When the game begins, all of the kids are playing it. Nobody is left out. It is like there isn't any other choice. They have to play the game just like a person has to live his or her life. Just like any game, there are winners and losers. Ravi finds a great hiding spot. He has an advantage in the game that nobody else has, and he believes that it is going to win him a great victory and all of the praise that comes with it. Unfortunately, that doesn't happen. Everybody moves on to a different game, and Ravi ends the story just as insignificant as he began. That's similar to "the game of life." Some people work and work to gain an advantage and make something of themselves only to find out that all of their hard work simply isn't going to pay off in any beneficial way. The game is a competition, and Ravi's hard work still fails him. Life can work like that too.