Motif of Decay
The motif of decay is used to describe the effects of war, to further paint the picture of death. There are decaying bodies everywhere, it is bizarre. Bartle describes stray dogs eating the parts of human bodies; the smell of the decay is so strong it overpowers everything else. Soldiers are so used to seeing it that they've become unaffected by it.
Flower Symbolism
Flowers are used as symbols of hope. Hyacinth flowers are mentioned at the beginning when Malik talks about a woman who was growing them in her garden which was a rare sight. As the war progressed and all of Al Tafar became covered in dust, the hyacinth flowers were only a rumor indicating that the hope is lost. Bartle and Sterling find Murph's dead body covered in lifeless hyacinth symbolizing the loss of his hope. Bartle often daydreams about cicada flowers back at home and those flowers represent his hope.
Symbolism of a Dove
The narrator pessimistically talks about snow as there is nothing special in it; that all snowflakes look the same to him like shot dove's feathers falling to the ground. The use of a dove is important as a dove usually symbolizes something pure like hope or innocence. A shot dove could symbolize loss of hope; loss of innocence in connection to the young soldiers in the war.
Palomino Horse
Back from war, Bartle collapses in a river and has a bizarre vision of a bloody palomino horse approaching him and cradling him. This ambiguous image could be variously interpreted: the horse symbolizing death, Bartle's suicide attempt, him giving up or his desire to be free from the pain of having to live with what happened in Iraq.
Yellow Ribbons
Yellow ribbons are used a symbol of hope for the soldiers to return from war; a symbol of their heroism. Bartle can't bear the sight of them as they remind him that there is nothing heroic in what he had to do to survive. He draws a connection to the pointless death of a young medic in the orchard and describes himself vomiting in yellow ribbons, so in this sense the yellow ribbon could represent the pointlessness and hypocrisy of war as there is nothing heroic or praise-worthy in young boys losing their lives.
