The House Revisited Symbol
When Helene returns to Liberia she meets up with her foster sister Eunice and the two go to see the house where they grew up at Sugar Beach. The house looks like a shadow of its former self, and is not at all the home that they remember from their childhood. The house is a symbol of what they have lost and what was ripped away from them after the coup.
War Motif
The motif of war is a constant both throughout the author's life and throughout the book. Her happy childhood ends when there is a coup in Liberria; her Uncle, a member of the ousted government, is executed and her family threatened. As an adult, she finds herself drawn to war zones, and it is whilst she i in Iraq, and almost killed herself, that she realizes she needs to re-visit the places from her early childhood in order to get some closure. War is the catalyst for the most monumental events in her life and also the tie that binds them together.
The Cooper Family Symbol
The Cooper family are a symbol to the guerrilla government and they represent the old system and the old regime. They are hated because they are a link to the old Liberia and so are in great danger because their death would also be a symbol of the revolution. Uncle Cecil is executed on television which is a symbol to the Liberian citizens that the old government is out and the new government is to be obeyed.
The Turmoil in Liberia Symbol
Even though the instigator of the civil war has long since been executed, Cooper finds a country still gripped by civil war and turmiol when she returns. This is symbolic of the devastation caused by President Doe, who was corrupt and who ruled based on his own system of racial prejudices.
Old Family Symbol
The Coopers are an old family and are a symbol of the beginning of Liberia. They are able to trace their ancestry back to the nation's founding fathers and are a symbol of the hope and optimism with which they governed.
