Over the Rainbow Symbol
The characters in the play all seem to believe that their happiness lies somewhere over the rainbow, in that each dreams of a new life, and a better life, somewhere well away from the California Valley. Ella, for example, wants to go to the other side of the world, viewing the sale of the land as her ticket to Europe for a completely new start. Emma wants to go to Mexico; it is closer and she can ride her horse over the border. Weston is looking for a safe haven for his family and wants to escape to Alaska. The motif is the common thread between each of the characters who realize that their happiness is not going to be found in their derelict farmhouse in the Valley but somewhere else entirely.
Packard Symbol
Ella's car is her most treasured possession and the symbol of her American Dream. It is something that she has achieved and also a symbol to herself that she can get in the car and escape anywhere she pleases. When she bought the car it was a symbol of better things to come and even in her present predicament she views the Packard and car ownership in general as a symbol of their not being part of the starving class.
Explosion of the Packard Symol
The Packard is blown up by Ellis and his cohort and this is also a symbol of the explosion and destruction of Ella's dreams of a better future.
Empty Regrigerator Symbol
Emma is constantly told that the family are not members of the starving class, yet to her, the empty refrigerator is a symbol of the opposite; there is never any food at the house, so how can they not be the starving class?
Horse Symbol
The horse that Emma loves and rides so much is also a symbol of her own wildness and continued inability to be tamed in any way. The horse is fairly wild and Ella is worried whenever Emma rides because she will generally be thrown. Emma continues to ride the horse and it is symbolic of her own ability to emotionally throw her mother from her equilibrium.
