The father's heart attack
To Warren, the question of political power and economic interests is as close to home as her own father. What did her father do "wrong" for the bank to take everything from their family? He had a heart attack. That symbolizes the stressful relationship with money in a way, because stress is a serious factor in heart health, but also, it symbolizes the injustice of financial obligations, because to buy a house or a car, one has to make promises about the future that are not always easily upheld, especially in health catastrophes. He can't work with his heart condition.
The mother's dress
There is a painful moment when Warren sees her mother weeping and trying to fit into an old dress from her work days. She is hoping to get hired at Sears, but it has been years since she had to dress this way or go out to find work. The symbolic moment reminds Warren that time has not only passed for her mother; she herself is older. She takes this crisis as a time for reflection, deciding to make something out of her life.
The debate scholarship
Warren says that she was only able to go to college because of a scholarship she received for learning to debate skillfully. This symbolically foreshadows the way her ability to argue paves a way for her in the political realm, and it symbolizes something about her character. She is anti-establishment in her political views, so she is a deconstructionist in her arguments. Her character is defined by exposing systemic issues from traditional points of view.
The gender representation
Warren's testimony and political success are living symbols that women are capable of power and responsibility. She proves, as a mother and wife, that she is not inferior by nature to man. In fact, her sense of justice and her willingness to risk her life for what she believes are essentially an overflow of her familial love and loyalty. She fights for her mother and father when she fights against big banks, and when she manages a win, it is a victory for her home. This is an important reminder in a political environment historically dominated by white men.
Lobbyists and injustice
Warren writes about the shape of injustice. She says that political lobbyists are a good example for what is wrong with American politics. Big companies can afford to bribe candidates into doing in law what suits the business. This is bribery through legal loopholes, and it is allowed at least in part because the Congress is full of people who benefit monetarily from such bribes and who would stand to lose a significant amount of money by doing the right thing. She says this is a portrayal of injustice and economic oligarchy.
