Korea and PTSD
The imagery of Korea and the Korean War is a direct memory for Frank, and his experience of PTSD takes him back into that domain of imagery. Korean memories are traumatizing for him, and the PTSD doesn't leave him alone for long. The novel doesn't take place in Korea, but it is absolutely haunted by imagery of the Korean War, and the concrete depictions of Frank's panic attacks and mental health issues are clearly tied to those memories.
The Horses
The novel opens with the powerful image of horses in the field, rearing up and standing tall like men. They are glorious, unfettered creatures, stunning in their power and beauty. Yet they are still prisoners of the men who own them and, Frank learns later, send them to slaughterhouses. This parallels what happens to American soldiers in Korea and to Black Americans back at home.
Journeying
Much of the imagery of the text is of literal journeying to a home—the bus, the train, walking, driving—which also has a metaphorical element, for the two main characters are also journeying toward acceptance of themselves, restoration and peace, self-assurance, and the "home" of knowing who they are.
Killing and Death
Morrison parallels violent scenes of killing and death in Korea, which are carried out for the flimsy reason of "anti-communism" but really done to burnish America's power on the global stage, with images of death and violence at home in America (the father/son fight, Cee's mutilation, police shakedowns, etc.). The parallel lets readers see that the 1950s, a time of de jure and de facto segregation, is a decade of tremendous violence and oppression perpetrated against Black people.
