The Giraffes
The two giraffes famously survived a hurricane on a ship that claimed the life a rhino and then a drive across the entire United States long before the Eisenhower Highway System was constructed. Together, they become symbols of persistence and, yes, the fulfilment of the American Dream in a really weird way.
The Rabbit’s Foot
Woody’s rabbit’s foot that he has rubbed almost to the point of baldness is, of course, an iconic totem of good luck. It is within the context of the story that this symbol of superstition actually becomes a symbol of the astonishingly good luck that it takes to attain the American Dream, especially if you are immigrants from Africa.
Red’s Trousers
Woody seems to be as struck by Red’s wearing pants as he is by the sight of her flaming red hair. Thirty years later there would be an episode of The Andy Griffith Show in which the Taylors take a trip to Hollywood and Opie notices another lady walking down the sidewalk wearing pants with a sense of awe and wonder to which his father, Sheriff Taylor, responds that such a thing might be fine in L.A. but he’d sure hate to see it in Mayberry. In other words, hard as it is to believe now, a woman wearing pants was once as shocking a sight as a man wearing dress. And so, Red’s trousers symbolize a much better future for women that was very slowly on its way.
Californy
As John Steinbeck most famously demonstrated, during the Great Depression the state of California symbolized hope for something better for many of those residing in the states hardest hit by the economic disaster. This was especially true, of course, for those who lost everything as a result of agricultural devastation known collectively as the Dust Bowl. Even as late in the era as 1938, California still symbolized "the Promised Land” for “hardscrabble farm folks” like Woody.
The Flash Flood
The flash flood that transforms everything expected into a situation of having to deal with everything unexpected also recalls Steinbeck. The flash flood symbolizes how all even the best laid plans of mice and men are subject to unpredictable vagaries of fate. A ship running into a hurricane is a blind date with destiny but a flood in the Dust Bowl is destiny flashing you in church just because he can.
