The Cranes

Answer—How does symbol of the hand or the cranes reveal the meaning of the story? 
So—what is the meaning of the story? 
How does the symbol function to help reveal the meaning?

The cranes are a symbol of life. They help to reveal the meaning of the story, by relating to the lives of the main characters. It has always been a fairy tale that cranes bring new babies and in this story the cranes were flying off in the distance, symbolizing the death of the old couple. The story is on of an old couple who are nearing their death and in the end, presumably die. The cranes mate for life and their near extinction  is due to them not finding a new partner. In the story the couple have 'mated' and since the woman is dying, the man feels like he can live no more, so they both die just like the cranes who will not find a new partner. The symbol helps to show what happens in the end. We are left to assume the woman dies and the man lives his life without a new mate or that they both take some kind of poison and both end up dying together.