The knife
In the beginning of the poem ‘’A Cry from an Indian Wife’’, the wife addresses her husband who gets ready to leave. She prepares him the best she can and she gives him a knife before he leaves even though she knows he will most likely not use it. The knife is used here as a symbol for the traditional ways of the Indians. Unfortunately, because the white man took over the land, those ways are no longer possible and thus the knife becomes useless.
The railway
The major symbol in the poem ‘’Joe’’ is the railway that cuts through forests and fields. The railway is described here as being almost violent and affecting the land in a negative way. The railway is used here as a symbol for the negative way the modern world affects the Indian tribes and also to suggest the destructive nature of technology.
The Indian corn
Another important symbol is mentioned in the poem ‘’Joe’’ when the narrator mentions how the white people husked the gold Indian corn. Joe was among the ones who husked the corn and the narrator presents the action as being a violent one. The corn is used here as a symbol that stands for the riches given by the Indian lands. Thus, by husking the corn, the white men are robbing the Indians of the fruits of their lands.
Symbol for a dying nation
In the poem ‘’A Cry from an Indian Wife’’ the narrator sends the men forth to fight the white men. The Indian men are armed with their traditional tomahawk while the white men were armed with guns. The guns were far more affective because they could be used from a distance and thus the Indians had often no chance against the weapons used against them. Because of this, the tomahawk is used here as a symbol to make reference to a dying nation.
The old Indian woman
The old Indian woman is used as a symbol in the poem ‘’The Corn Husker’’. The woman is described as a woman who works every day to gather food but despite this she is still hungry. The woman appears here as a symbol for the Indian people. Just like the woman is frail and no longer has power to fight or survive, the Indian tribes were stripped of their power and energy.
