Baton
Jeanne literally turns her baton into a symbol of her father by personifying it in her mind and hand as his very body. Tossing the baton into the air, watching it spin and fall back into grasp becomes her means of dealing with the pent-up anger and frustration at his authoritarianism.
Pear Trees
The pear trees that manage to remain intact with their gnarled limbs and stunted growth are the ultimate symbol connecting the family’s arrival to their departure from the internment camp. The sweet fragrance and ability to bear fruit become a metaphor perseverance against overwhelming odds.
Rock Arrangements
Many of the internees spend hours searching for just the right rocks to then arrange into gardens and walkways in an attempt to construct a human presence in the camp made by choice and by will. Many decades later during the return trip, it becomes apparent that some of this construction had remained intact while other elements of construction for the purpose of imprisonment had disappeared with time. In this way, the rocks become endowed with the symbolism of the endurance of the human will to leave behind a message of hope rather than a message of control.
The Carnival Queen Scandal
The entire scandal involving allegations of ballot-box stuffing by teachers, the attempt to buy the pageant title by the influential and wealthier father of a less likely candidate and disappointment and lack of support from the family all converge to create a symbol of experience for Japanese-Americans of that generation wanting desperately to assimilate into American society and being faced with opposition from both fronts.
Mt. Whitney
The internment camp lies in the shadow of California’s impressive peak and takes on the symbolic power of impenetrable force. Just as it would make little sense to fight back against the mountain, so they family must learn to accept and endure the indignity of suddenly being placed in opposition to a country and government that is an impenetrable force against which fighting back must also be accepted as useless.
