Symbol: The Little Man
The little man will every so often appear to Lisamarie during the night. He is short, almost leprechaun-like, with bright red hair. He always appears right before a death or illness in the family occurs, and thus his presence is very alarming to Lisa. She eventually finds out from her grandmother that he is a spirit associated with the "chief trees." This tree spirit is a guide for Lisa, but as Ma-ma-oo warns her, he is not always a reliable one. He symbolizes the simultaneous comfort and fear that the spirit world can bring. Lisa's fear gets the best of her and this results in the little man not showing up to warn her about Ma-ma-oo's death.
Allegory: Shapeshifters
There is much Haisla folklore revolving around shapeshifting: back in a time when "flesh was less rigid," animals and humans often switched forms. Lisamarie recounts one particular story where a sea otter disguises himself as a handsome man and has an affair with a woman, who is then shocked when she gives birth to an otter. Besides being an instance of magical realism, this is an allegory that illustrates how man has gradually become disconnected from nature and the animal kingdom, isolating himself in his modern ways. By losing this knowledge, humans have become more susceptible to being tricked or even harmed by animals, such as we see when Mick's life is taken by seals. According to legend, only medicine people can still shapeshift and commune with the animal world, which we somewhat see in Lisamarie, who is often receiving messages from the crows who stalk her house.
Motif: Monkey Beach
The location of Monkey Beach is not only a motif throughout the book, but also a motif throughout Lisa's life—something she herself realizes at the end of the novel. Many of the significant experiences she details in the book take place on Monkey Beach. It is the place where she and her brother first see the b'gwus, where she drags Jimmy to help him recover from his grief, where she lands at the end of the book and communes with the tree spirits. It is where Lisa goes to connect with her gifts, her native origins, and the healing powers of nature. In this way, Monkey Beach is really the equivalent of Lisa's true north as it is the catalyst for all of the main experiences in her life and in the novel's plot.
Symbol: Oxasuli
The oxasuli plant is introduced to Lisamarie by her grandmother when the two go for a plant-foraging walk. Ma-ma-oo explains the oxasuli as both a medicine and a poison depending on the person using it. When someone does not show respect to a spirit being, it can result in insanity, sickness, or even death. This is a powerful symbol that echoes throughout the book to symbolize the inherent danger of Lisa's spiritual gifts if not properly harnessed. The oxasuli is also a symbol for the Native wisdom of people like Ma-ma-oo who have kept the Haisla tradition alive and the importance of imparting knowledge of the plant kingdom to younger generations.
Symbol: The Bucket
Motivated by an unknown force, Lisamarie walks into the ocean in a daze, and spots what first appears to be something that looks "like a baby in a christening outfit." Upon further inspection, she realizes it is just a bucket. Lisa's vision is characteristic of someone who often sees the spirit world superimposed on top of the mundane world. However, her perception of the baby is significant; we can infer that this baby being christened is an image of Lisa herself, becoming re-born after a period of chaos in her life. Then, as she realizes it is a bucket, she grabs hold of it and dunks it into the ocean, thinking to herself "I should catch it before it's lost," symbolizing the urgency she feels to reclaim her soul. This scene is meant to be a sort of baptism for Lisa as she enters into the icy-cold water to be purified from her past trauma.
