The black body
The author uses the black body to symbolize an identity crisis. The author uses her characters to explain the difficulties people of black go through while they are in the white society. Emma is one of the characters struggling with her identity. Despite being a medical student in Paris, she resolves to nude dancing as her career because she feels unaccepted in white society.
Nudity
The author uses Emma's nudity to symbolize hopelessness figuratively. To start with, Emma is a bright student studying medicine, but she feels that the white society won't appreciate her medical career. Therefore, Emma becomes hopeless and resolves to a nude dancing career.
The white community
The perception of the white community towards Emma and other mixed-race foreigners in France symbolizes racism. For instance, the white community only sees Emma's hyper-sexual body, but they do not appreciate her personality and origin. It is also important to remember that Emma is being used as entertainment only because her capability and values are never appreciated.
The Haitian man (Ishmael)
The Haitian man who runs away for fear of his life symbolizes political operations and strategies. The Haitian man supports Duvalier at home, but his political involvement is a danger to the existing government. According to the authorities, the Haitian man is a spy and must be eliminated. The events taking place in Haiti's political space open readers' eyes to realizing that governments do not tolerate opposition and spying that can easily lead to a revolution.
The symbolism of treachery
Ishmael's selfish decision to use Emma as a sex pet embodies treachery. Ishmael comes to Emma to ask for refuge, and she accepts. Later, she truly falls in love with him, and they start a sexual relationship. However, Ishmael pretends that he loves Emma, but he only uses her for his selfish sexual gains. The reader learns that Ishmael is a married man, and he has other side lovers. Therefore, he is not serious about his relationship with Emma.
