Betrayal (Motif)
Betrayal is a major motif throughout the book. Many of the individuals in the story end up being deceitful or concealing their true intentions. Kelsie Morrison purports to be working for the FBI but is actually an informant for Hale. Hale poses as a friend to the Osage, but ends up being the mastermind behind the murders. Ernest acts like a loyal and devoted husband, but reveals that he knew about the murders all along and tried to kill Mollie and their children. Betrayal is an important element in the story in that all of these people work to earn the trust of the Osage, or law enforcement, only to completely turn on them for money. Grann shows that, in all of these cases, money is a sufficient motivator for these people to cruelly betray friends and family.
Oil Derricks (Symbol)
Oil derricks function as a symbol of greed in the narrative. Grann notes that people look at the derricks with wonder when they first start cropping up in Pawhuska. However, he writes, this feeling quickly sours as the Osage becomes recipients of great envy and resentment, as the white Oklahomans surrounding them see the derricks and want some of the resulting profit from the oil. The derricks become an uncomfortably visible marker of the Osage's sudden windfall and the danger that it puts them in danger. In this way, the oil derricks symbolize the greed that motivates the violence against them.
Treaties (Symbols)
Treaties are also a major symbol in the book. Grann gives an in-depth overview of the history of the Osage tribe at the beginning of the book. He notes that various land treaties forced them to move on several occasions, resulting in widespread illness, starvation, and death. These treaties were always designed to put them at a disadvantage and sought to give them the least valuable land possible. The treaties function as a symbol of the broken promises made to the Osage by the U.S. government, as they never received one that served their interests.
Cowboy Hat (Symbol)
White is frequently described as wearing a white cowboy hat, a holdover from his days as a Texas Ranger. Grann writes that he is quite tall and that Hoover found him to be somewhat intimidating, as the hat accentuated his already imposing stature. White's hat works as a symbol of the divide between himself and Hoover, as he was a tougher individual, more comfortable working in the field and more zeroed in on solving cases. The hat underscores White's serious and stern demeanor, representing the fact that he actually is what Hoover purports to be.
Windmills (Symbol)
At the end of the book, Grann looks at windmills with Mary Jo Webb, an Osage tribe member. She says that the windmills are owned by an Italian energy company and that the tribe has just lost a lawsuit against them. She says that the government sided with the energy company over the tribe. In this way, the windmills represent the continued struggles of the Osage, as their land is used to make money that they will not receive.
