Granny's hat and parasol
These are often mentioned when Bayard recalls his Granny. When they lose their house and their belongings in a fire, Granny sends Bayard to bring her Mr. Compson's hat and parasol. These objects could be seen as a representation of Granny's battle to stay dignified, mentioned so often that they seem to have a life of their own.
Granny
Granny is religiously strict and she raised the boys to follow the rules of religion. She is protective of her own and isn't afraid of anything when it comes to her family or her possessions. Her willingness to help her son got her killed at the end. Despite some of her actions, Granny serves as a moral compass to Bayard, which could be seen towards the end when he feels ashamed of lying to Mrs. Wilkins, who reminds him of Granny.
Journey and returning home
Bayard's development is interwoven with hitting the road, have a life-changing experience and returning home. On the first journey with his Granny and Ringo with a trunk of silver towards Memphis, Bayard experiences his father's world of war. On the second journey Granny and the boys hit the road to recover the trunk of silver and Loosh and his wife. On this journey Bayard learns the cruelty of the war, seeing a lot of homes burned just like his own and he learns about the slaves' hope for a change. The next journey Bayard and Ringo take is to avenge Granny. Bayard's final journey is actually the one on the way home and it is the most important one for his development and self-discovery.
Railroad
Railroad is described to symbolize motion, the impulse to move among black slaves, to move towards dream and hope. It also represents a moment when Bayard realized the difference between him and Ringo. The boys grew up side by side, their skin color didn't matter. They always competed with each other, as boys usually do, but this time, Ringo's anxiousness to see and know about the railroad has a different meaning. Even though the boys grew up side by side, Ringo even smarter: when Granny begins the mule business Ringo helps her out with everything and is obviously more advanced than Bayard, who feels like the only one who is a child with them, at the end we see the tragedy of the skin-color difference between the two. Bayard goes to college to become a lawyer and Ringo remains to stay a servant of Sartoris home, with Bayard very much degradingly referring to Ringo as his "boy".
