The Trees in the Orchard
One of the most narratively significant images in the story is the way the trees in the orchard are described. When Twyla was taken to the orphanage, the trees were barren, ugly, twisted, and decayed. The orchard was a formative place for Twyla; through the description of the trees, the narrator suggests decay, death, and corruption, elements linked with the orchard’s symbolic meaning. The trees also suggest Maggie's legs, linking many of Twyla's traumas together.
Mary
The relationship between Twyla and her mother seems somehow tense, and Mary’s behavior does not make things better for Twyla, who tries to blend in. Mary behaves in such a way that even Mary sees her as being strange and easy, and Twyla is appalled to see that her mother overly is concerned with her appearance during the church service they attend together. The image portrayed in that scene is not of a caring mother, but rather of a person who could care less about what happened to anyone except herself.
Twyla and Roberta
After Twyla meet Roberta in the gourmet market, they both decide to go to a coffee shop and have a drink together. When entering the shop, Roberta catches Twyla just as she used to do when they were at the orphanage; Twyla began thinking how maybe, from the outside, it must have appeared as if they were sisters. This image is deceiving, however, as it becomes clear that Twyla resents Roberta for the way she treated her in the past.
