Slavery
Slavery is symbolic of the way that Black people in the United States (and across the world) were systematically sold and put into bondage simply because of the color of their skin. Slavery is symbolic, ultimately, of the widespread racism that plagued the United States during that time.
New Orleans
New Orleans, and the New Orleans slave market specifically, is symbolic of the way that people were commoditized in the worst ways when slavery was legal in the United States. They were treated as property, not people.
The bug
The bug that features prominently on the cover of the novel is symbolic of the way that a person's past, familial history, myth, and history intersect. In the novel, Annis uses all of those things to remain sane and carry on during difficult circumstances.
Love
For much of the novel, finding romantic love is aspirational for Annis. However, when she finds a potential partner—another female slave—she quickly falls in love. That love is symbolic of the way that people continue to live their lives despite being in conditions that would call for them to shrink and become disillusioned with life.
