Motif: Heat
Both India and the United States are depicted as very hot, almost oppressively so; that heat is associated with masculinity, as in Mr. Patton's obsession with the grill, the death-by-fire of Anamika, and, as critic Ludamila Volna writes of Papa, fire and the sun: "The shape and colour of the orange as well as the frequent repetition of the 's' consonant at the beginning of the words in the passage—such as serving, separate, strips, segments, sphinx, sits, satisfied, status—indicate the first important symbol in the imagery of the work, which is the sun."
Symbol: Water
Uma's desire to plunge into the river water and Arun's feeling of weightless pleasure in the water at the swimming hole utilizes the classic symbolism of water—it is associated with cleansing, rebirth, oblivion, purity.
Motif: Eating Meat
For both Papa and Mr. Patton, eating meat isn't just about sustenance—it is a form of identity, a cultural marking, an emblem of masculinity. Neither can believe Arun is a vegetarian, criticizing him or simply choosing to forget it every meal. It seems a personal affront to them that someone, especially a male, would not eat meat because for them, eating meat is a signifier of something greater than the mere consumable flesh of an animal.
Symbol: The Tight Ring
Uma is given a ring to wear at a meeting with a potential suitor and his mother. The ring vexes her, as it is too tight, and she spends the whole time fussing with it, trying to get it off. As a ring is a symbol of marriage, this scene symbolizes Uma's lack of desire to be married or her "unfitness" for the institution.
Symbol: Uma's Eye Issues
Uma has terrible eye issues that vex her throughout the novel, and many critics suggest that this symbolizes her inability to "see" for herself. She lives as myopic and dim a life as her eyes, and her father's refusal to allow her to treat them also symbolizes male dominance of women.
