The archetype of sexual competition
The animal instinct of competing for one's mate is depicted through narrative in the rising action of the book, when Jim and Dave are fighting over a young lady named Daisy. The fight symbolizes the basic premise of their desires. They feel infatuation for the same girl, which symbolizes competition, and then because of tool usage, the fight turns serious. The human ability to use the tool shows that intelligence complicates this natural battle, turning it into an emotional melodrama.
The church split
The church is depicted through schism. There is the Macedonia Baptist Church, and there are the Methodists. Almost as if those churches were only just tribes, they immediate take the side of whichever man was in their congregation. This shows the ironic lack of emotional clarity and objectivity in organized religion, as well as the ironic failure of the church to embody the pacifistic teachings of Jesus.
The banishment
Jim and Dave aren't mortal enemies, but it takes Jim a two year exile sentence to put together why that is true. He uses the time to work through his issues with Dave, and he holds onto hope for Daisy. In other words, Jim is forced into adventure, because he has to leave his community behind, hoping to eventually come back to start his family. It is a symbol for his coming to maturity.
Daisy's symbolic decision
Daisy loves being competed over, which was fine when it was just Jim and Dave, because they're basically equals. Clearly, she is judging them on their merit, they assume. Then, she reveals that she wants her husband to work for a white man. That clarifies her truth beliefs. She doesn't really believe in either man. She likes power, and at the end of the day, her conclusion is that in order for her to have the life she really wants, they will have to work for the white man, because she doesn't think they'll provide for her. This symbolizes her low opinion of her brethren. She believes the cultural lie about black men having a low potential.
Freedom and enlightenment
Suddenly, after Daisy's confession, the feud just ends. The men realize that sticking together is far more important than their relationship to Daisy, who truly doesn't believe in either man, partially because she believes hateful ideas about black men. They are free from their desires because they have been enlightened to the horrible reality of the situation. They aren't frustrated by natural causes. They are frustrated because they are socially disenfranchised by the damage racism did to the Black community's own perception of Black people.
