Music
Used as a symbol for Ursa's lost baby, music represents her desire to create and also understand her family's sordid and incestuous history.
Corregidora (name)
Ursa's last name is a symbol of oppression. She utalizes this last name to find the slaveholder that assulted her family and to understand why he did what he did. Her use of this name through her entire life was the reason why she sought abusive relationships and men that hurt her. Her name also symbolized centuries of white oppression, and by finally understanding the meaning of it, she discovered that she was not only free to live as a person of color, but also as a member of the LGBTQ+ community as well.
Hysterectomy
A symbol of the cycle of oppression being broken. Ursa's family was riddled by incest and assault, and by being unable to have children, she unconsciously breaks this cycle. This hysterectomy is also ironic as we reach the end and find out that Ursa is gay.
Animal Names (Ursa, Spider, Tadpole, etc.)
Traditionally, names like this are rooted in culture. Due to white colonialism, names that bring power are wiped out or seen as odd. The use of traditional names and their upkeep through generations symbolizes resistance to the white males that have oppressed them and establishes that Ursa is strong and a fighter.
Abuse as a Motif
While dark in nature, abuse is an element that reoccurs sporadically throughout the story. Every time it is mentioned, a massive life decision happens. The first time, it is used in a generational story about escaping slavery. The second, it is when Ursa leaves her abusive marriage with Mutt. The third is when she leaves her relationship with Tadpole, and the fourth is when she realizes that she is gay.
