Fruit Basket Symbol
The welcoming basket of fruit in Bond's hotel room is a symbol of hospitality and friendship. It is also, in this context, a symbol of deception; those who are trying to kill Bond knowing that it is a traditional symbol of hospitality and trying to lull him into a false sense of security, hoping he will feel comfortable eating a piece of the fruit, which is poisoned.
Strangeways Symbol
Bond is searching for another member of MI6, Commander John Strangeways. His name is symbolic of the circumstances of his life; strange circumstances seem to happen around him and now he has mysteriously disappeared. The name Strangeways is also doubly symbolic, since in the U.K. the major prison for the criminally insane is called Strangeways so this symbolism adds a feeling of sinister menace to his disappearance.
The Eco-System as Weaponry Motif
One of the biggest paradoxes in the novel lies in the motif of using the natural world as weaponry, rather than more traditional ammunition. We see this first when a poisonous caterpillar is hidden in Bond's bed on his first night on Crab Key. The crabs that the key is named in honor of are also intended to be weapons, Dr No planning on them creating a grisly and painful death for Honeychile, although it does not turn out as he planned and she escapes. Bond's most difficult battle in the novel is against a giant squid that is kept in confinement, and attacks him under the water. We also see Dr No use poisonous spiders against Bond. Throughout the book, against the theme of the beautiful surroundings and the natural world, is the darker motif of wildlife that is used to kill.
Russian Involvement Motif
A motif that runs through all of the Bond novels, and this one included, is that of the evil Russians involved with every maverick bad guy against whom Bond is pitted. This is partly because the books were written during the Cold War period, but for the most part, the motif plays to the fact that although the Russians are behind the enemy they are not the identified individual enemy in of themselves. They are rather the ultimate enemy using individual "mad men" to achieve their ends and objectives.
Honey's Name Symbol
One of the ongoing motifs of all Bond novels, this one included, is the symbolic nature of all of the women with whom Bond becomes involved. Honey Chile is no exception. The name "Honey" symbolizes the fact that she is going to have a fleeting relationship with Bond, literally as his honey. The term actually derives from the Cajun dialect, and is a term of endearment.
