M's Tone of Voice as a Symbol, Chapter One
M's tone of voice and his verbal delivery symbolizes the kind of mission Bond is being given. Bond prefers to hear tension and excitement in his voice, and to have M address him sharply by his last name symbolizes big, exciting news and an impending mission fraught with danger. In this case the friendly tone of voice and genial use of his first name, James, symbolizes a personal talk rather than a job. In this way, M's tone and delivery acts as a symbol of whether there is going to be a job or not.
Wormwood Scrubs Symbol, Chapter Two
The locals call Shrublands "Wormwood Scrubs" which is a prison in London, England. This nickname symbolizes the view of the health farm that despite the fact nobody has to be there of they don't want to it guests tend to be treated like prisoners, have assigned mealtimes and have many rules and regulations.
Lippe's Tattoo Sign, Chapter Three
Count Lippe has a tattoo on his wrist that is a small zigzag crossed by two vertical strokes. This is assign called a Tong Sign and denotes membership of the Red Lightning Tong, a criminal group operating out of Macao, China. Traditionally, only full-blooded Chinese are members, so it is unusual to find someone like Lippe who has only partly Chinese heritage included in their number. The sign is like a membership card that identifies and validates members to each other.
Barracuda Motif
The barracuda is a motif that appears throughout the novel and threatens danger whenever it is present. It is a motif that not only reflects its own capacity to kill Bond but also represents other "human" barracuda that are present under the ocean. Itis a barracuda that attacks Bond under the water upon his first dive and subsequently threatens on other trips down in the aqualung. The constant reminders to look out for it not only remind the reader of the natural dangers inherent in Bond's mission, but also that the greatest threats involved in this particular job are under the sea not on land at all.
Blackbeard Allegory, Chapter Ten
Largo's adventures are an allegory of the adventures of the pirates of a couple of hundred years ago, but he is like Blackbeard the pirate, not the Jolly Roger pirates from children's books. Like Blackbeard he is a predator, a smuggler and a cut-throat who will slice people in half to get to the treasure at the end. Although more refined and calculating than his allegorical predecessor, he has the same cold, vengeful and murderous method of getting to the gold.
