Aerin's complexion
To say Aerin doesn't fit in is an understatement. She sticks out like a sore thumb. Her red hair makes everyone aware of her at all times, and she is easily visible. This symbolizes her relationship to attention. Since she was a child, she has received more attention from others than most, leading to a question in her self-esteem. She is different enough that people must either really like her or really dislike her. Her red hair is a symbol of her growth toward power. She must learn to steward the attention of her community as a leader.
The anti-mother
Aerin doesn't have the benefit of a supportive mother. Instead her mother symbolizes the antagonistic anti-mother who dies of agony at the knowledge that she had given birth to a girl. Instead of being a powerful woman who demonstrates the inherent value of womanhood, Aerin is left feeling like a curse and a burden. Her mother doesn't instill her with love and nurturing, as a mother should, but instead leaves her in the undeniable knowledge that her own mother found her life worthless.
Dragons
The dragons in the novel symbolize Aerin's increasing awareness of ulterior reality, of a kind of truth that lies beyond the realm of her society. Dragons live in the wilderness—they don't sign a lease and move into the neighborhood. They are symbols for chaos, therefore, and her increasing understanding of dragon energy and dragon power is a way of saying that she is gaining power even in the realm of chaos and the unknown. Dragons symbolize Aerin's magical ability and her chosen nature.
The hero's crown relic
This holy relic is a true symbol in the archetypal sense. Aerin's goal is to attain her status as a leader in the community. The crown is a symbol of achievement and glory, and like her red hair, it is a symbol she will wear on her head. These are symbols of her superior mental and emotional prowess, which she gained through adventure, through suffering, and through perseverance. This makes the hero's crown into a kind of holy grail-type symbol that signifies maximized potential.
Magic and the sublime
The motif of magic is clear throughout the plot of the story, but after the climactic battle, there comes a symbolic moment when Aerin suddenly realizes in staggering epiphany how magical the entire story really was—even more than she assumed. She knew the obvious signs of magic, but suddenly she realizes that even the seemingly ordinary moments of life are sublime. There is magic laid over her reality, and there is magic in the shape of her story. Magic is a symbol for design and meaning.
