Water (Motif)
Water is the dominant motif of the novel. It plays a central role in all of the different creation stories, and appears in various forms as rain, puddles, and the huge flood unleashed by the earthquake. Whenever the narrator and Coyote circle back to begin a story anew, they suggest the idea of water as a foundational element. This emphasis on water brings together mythology from both Christian and Native traditions, and places an element of the natural world at the center of the novel. Water is often associated with birth, fertility, and regeneration, as well as with renewal and fresh starts, when the past can be washed away. The reoccurring water motifs help to create a hopeful outlook within the novel, and the sense that there is always the possibility of a new start. Things will always return to the beginning.
Portland's Fake Nose (Symbol)
Portland's fake nose symbolizes stereotypes about Native Americans, and how those stereotypes are often taken more seriously than actual individuals. Portland is of course perfectly qualified to play Indian characters since he is of Blackfoot descent, but his actual appearance doesn't align with stereotypical ideas of what an Indian "should" look like, according to White ideals and stereotypes. No one is interested in the idea that Indians are also individuals and have a wide range of appearances, just like any other ethnicity. As the fake nose symbolizes, Western culture just wants Portland and other Aboriginals to conform to its expectations.
The Cabin (Symbol)
The cabin symbolizes family, history, and tradition. It was built by Eli and Norma's mother by hand, without any reliance on modern technology and it makes use of natural materials and traditional practices. When Eli returns to live in the cabin, he symbolically returns to his cultural roots and his connection to the family he has been absent from. Although it is often uncomfortable, it also shelters and sustains him, as his full identity does. The cabin's destruction in the flood does not undermine the importance of these concepts, but it does suggest that sometimes the past needs to be reconstructed in order to make room for change and new growth.
The Map (Symbol)
The map refers to the display of hundreds of televisions in Bursum's store, which he carefully arranges in the shape of a map of Canada and the United States. The map symbolizes Bursum's (and, by extension, white Western culture's) worship of capitalism and mass media. Bursum loves his display of televisions because they make him feel powerful and capable of making a lot of money. At the same time, he can use the display to have all the screens simultaneously project the same image. This symbolizes how media, such as books, films, and TV, tend to represent one particular viewpoint and perspective, rather than presenting diverse stories. King's novel is in part an effort to challenge this effect of mass media by telling stories from different voices.
Alberta's Pregnancy (Symbol)
Alberta's pregnancy symbolizes the possibility of the future and of an ongoing continuation of Blackfoot heritage. Even though it does not become evident until late in the novel, the pregnancy suggests that events will remain dynamic and active even after the main action has been resolved, and that a new generation will have to continue to ask these questions and find a way to reconcile their heritage and their experience of the wider world. Because it is not made clear who the father is, the pregnancy also symbolizes a way of accepting events without needing to arrive at a full intellectual understanding of them.
