Stuffed Tasmanian Devil (Symbol)
Brandon's stuffed Tasmanian Devil toy is a symbol of luck and survival. On 9/11, when finding his way out of the mall beneath the Twin Towers, Brandon unwittingly picks up the toy, which has drifted on flood water from the Warner Bros. store. Richard notices the toy clutched in Brandon's hand and tells him to hold on to it, because it has brought them good luck. In 2019, Brandon keeps the toy strapped to his army uniform, having heeded Richard's words. The toy becomes synonymous with Brandon—so much so that people nickname him Taz. Gratz makes clear the toy's significance as a symbol of luck and survival when Brandon gifts the toy to Reshmina at the end of the novel. Although it appears to be little more than a ratty toy, Reshmina understands that it carries great symbolic weight for Brandon, who wishes for her to survive the conflict that has destroyed her home.
Shrine to Failed Conquerors (Symbol)
Midway through Reshmina's storyline, she discovers a "shrine to failed conquerors"—a stockpile of antiquities and munitions that symbolize every historical invasion and failed occupation of Afghanistan. When hiding from the Taliban in tunnels beneath her village, Reshmina is surprised to find a room full of coins and statues and weapons from various foreign countries. She thinks of it as "a memorial to all the armies who had invaded Afghanistan and conquered it," seeing items of Mongolian, Greek, Persian, English, and Soviet origin. Upon seeing these artifacts, she thinks that Taz and the Americans will become like these other invaders and will "learn that they could never rule" Afghanistan. Despite the historical precedent, the Americans have gone in believing themselves to be different, but Reshmina accurately sees them as yet another power in the long list of failed conquerors.
Poppy Field (Symbol)
The poppy field Reshmina walks through is a symbol of human corruption of the natural world. After Pasoon attracts the Taliban's attention by firing a rifle from the hills, Reshmina rushes back to the village, hoping to warn her neighbors and family before the Taliban strikes. On her way, she passes through a field of brilliant pink poppies. She appreciates the delicately swaying flowers, whose beauty is a rare sight in the brown and rocky war-ravaged landscape of Afghanistan. However, she knows that the poppies aren't grown for their beauty but for their value as a cash crop used to create heroin. Sure enough, Reshmina soon discovers that the field is being patrolled by a young Taliban recruit who has been tasked with protecting the flowers, which the Taliban will sell to raise funds to buy weapons and munitions. In this way, humans have corrupted the natural beauty of the poppies with the sinister reason for the flowers' existence.
Snow Leopard (Symbol)
The snow leopard Reshmina encounters is a symbol of resilience. While running for her life, Reshmina hides behind a rock and despairs over the peril she is facing. Despite thinking that she is alone, she finds she is face-to-face with a rare snow leopard. When the leopard stares back at her, Reshmina's heart races and her skin tingles. Gratz writes that "energy coursed through her. It was almost as though she could feel the leopard’s strength in herself. As though they were two creatures who lived outside the bounds of society, beyond the reach of the rest of the world." At the sound of a gunshot, Reshmina leaves the spot, feeling the "humming, rippling strength" of the leopard still within her. Full of new power and purpose, she draws on the leopard's resilience and finds she has what she needs to keep running to her village.
Cedar Seed (Symbol)
The cedar tree seed Reshmina plants is a symbol of hope. While arguing with her brother, Reshmina finds a "dried-up old cedar cone on the ground." Reshmina recalls the stories her father and grandmother have told her about the cedars that used to tower over people throughout the country, before invading armies and desperate Afghans cut them down to fund violence. Holding the cone, Reshmina wonders, "Is there some life left in this old cedar cone? ... Something dormant inside, ready to sprout if given the room and resources to grow?" She dislodges a seed from the cone and pushes it into the dry soil, hoping the "seed would grow to be a cedar tree fifty meters tall and stand for a thousand years—if only everyone would let it." In this way, the cedar seed symbolizes Reshmina's hope that her country will have the chance to heal and recover after American occupation and Taliban rule.
