One of the strongest symbols that represents Simon Birch's purpose in life is granite. Simon's father owns the Birch granite company and, as the narrator states, has the personality of granite as well.

Mr. Birch was a big believer in the rock. Just about everything in their house was made from granite, including Mr. Birch.

Like granite, Simon sees himself as virtually indestructible. At the beginning of his life, his doctor only gives him a week to live, and yet Simon grows up to play baseball and swim in lakes. Despite his disability and the taunts from people in and outside town that call him names such as the "hobbit" and "munchkin," Simon never stops believing in himself. Even when he accidentally kills his friend's mother, he still continues to believe that he is "God's instrument," saying that his friend's mother's death was "out of his hands."

He is convinced God has put him on Earth to be a hero, and it is this conviction that leads him to help save the children from drowning in the lake.

Simon Birch is characterized by his small statute. Other children his age tower above him. Even at 12-years-old, Simon is still small enough to play the infant Jesus in the community's annual Christmas pageant. The baby Jesus symbolizes Simon's sad fate. Simon believes he has a destiny to fulfill because he is short in height. Jesus represents that destiny. Jesus sacrificed his life to save mankind. Simon sacrifices his life to save children in the school bus crash. Because Simon is small, he is able to help rescue children trapped in the bus. Simon symbolically fulfills the role of Jesus in the movie.