Capture and escape
Rose is appropriately paranoid by the plot of the story, because there are people trying to kill her. She is under extreme duress when she is captured, and when people seek to capture her. This creates an imagery that is claustrophobic and dependent. She depends on her community to help her escape, and she begins to find a deep need and appreciation for freedom. Throughout the novel she is burdened by circumstance which builds pressure aiming toward a Last Sacrifice where the claustrophobic plot gives way to catharsis.
The wilderness
The wilderness is the domain where nature takes its course, even viciously. Animals kill each other in nature, but in community, humans don't want to be worried by the constant threat of death. For Rose, that isn't optional. She faces the threat of chaos and death in the wilderness, but then again, she is suited for that environment, and the wilderness is sometimes a refuge to her when humans are trying to eliminate her under false pretenses. She finds solace in nature, while understanding its danger.
The kingdom
The kingdom is described through imagery that points the reader toward the concepts of society, establishment, joint accomplishment, and government. If the wilderness is the domain of chaos, then the kingdom is established through order and reason. The queen is a symbol of the kingdom's order, and Rose is an avatar for that order, because she fights against the chaos of tragedy. The kingdom is also a metaphor, so the imagery is thematically suggestive of goodness and purity.
The portrait of community dynamic
Rose is the opposite of Tasha's dynamic, but they are part of the same community, so the story depicts a kind of balance. The novel assumes that people like Tasha will always exist, making the plot important because by Rose's sacrifice, she is able to eventually become the person she needs to be to heal the community of Tasha's selfish, murderous ways. She loves her community and sees past her own health and happiness to attain the greater good, but Tasha is selfish. The queen represents the order of the community, and the community is symbolized in Rose's friendships.
