Final answer:
Items in the river Styx symbolize various concepts, such as greed represented by coins, vanity by jewelry, and violence by weapons, all reflecting the belief in life after death, the uselessness of vanity after life, and the everlasting presence of conflict.
Step-by-step explanation:
The items in the river Styx are symbolic in various ways. The coins are often associated with the ancient practice of placing coins on the eyes or in the mouth of the deceased as payment to Charon, the ferryman of Hades, which could symbolize the dead's passage or the belief in life after death. This practice is indeed related to the concept of greed, as it reflects the idea that the dead needed wealth to make their journey to the afterlife. Similarly, items like jewelry found in the river might symbolize vanity, as they are personal adornments that now lie useless among the remnants of the past. Lastly, weapons being present in the Styx are emblematic of violence, representing the endless conflicts and wars of the mortal world that have followed their bearers into death.