The caged slave
James talks about all the aspects of America that he loves, and he obviously has an understanding of the rhetoric of America, and the culture that defines American daily life. He finds the charity and humility of his community to be an encouragement, until one day, he sees this symbolic instance: A slave left in a cage to die. To him, the slave symbolizes his community's hypocrisy and the evil of slavery, because these things go against all the aspects of American culture that he was proud of.
The snakes
James is asked by his mentor to write about the local snakes. This request seems benign to James, but it is secretly symbolic. By making James focus on the snakes in the area, Mr. J.B. invites him to scrutinize his experience of America, including the negative, fearful elements of life. The snakes are a symbol of universal brokenness, because they are a nuisance, and because this is J.B.'s way of helping James understand why hypocrisy is so evident in American slavery—because there are snakes everywhere, even in American farming.
Quakers and religious freedom
When James meets the Quakers, they symbolize American freedom to him, because the community is strange and unique. They are an interesting symbol for freedom, because they obviously don't celebrate individual freedom as much, because of their strict dress code and way of life, but they do symbolize the communal freedom to be a community however they want. They are a dual symbol for religious freedom in America.
The botanist
The Russian botanist gives James a symbolic point of view. Instead of contrasting America with England, James is able to contrast his experience of America with the Russian scientist's point of view, which is notably different and insightful to him. He sees that life means different things to different people, and he realizes that the influx of English culture did matter substantially in the culture of America.
The departure from war
When the threat of war comes to Nantucket, James is pulled in two directions, and he makes the symbolic decision to remove himself completely from his life and identity, choosing instead to go live with the natives. He doesn't choose the Quakers, nor does he pick a side in the war, but instead, as a farmer, he goes to the natives who share his opinion of the value of life and of the land. This is not an easy decision, but it symbolizes his willingness to see the Native Americans as a valid community.
