The mice
The mice symbolize the death of Gifty’s brother, Nana. Gifty has decided to study science and conduct research using mice to understand the impact of heroin overdose on human beings. Through the experiment, Gifty learns vital information that helps her to understand Nana's heroin addiction and the circumstances that led to his death. Therefore, Gifty finds some of the critical answers to heroin addiction, and she is ready to use the information to help others not to die like her brother.
The baby bird
The baby bird Gifty holds when she is only five symbolizes her childhood defenselessness and reliance. When Nana dies, Gifty struggles with identity crisis and weakness because these are the primary challenges she is fighting to overcome. At 28, Gifty finds that she is dependent on her mother and cannot make independent decisions because of fear of the unknown.
Pastor Tom
Pastor Tom symbolizes the church's hypocrisy. The Pentecostal Church has recruited Pastor Tom to represent the youth with the primary intention of drawing them closer to God. However, Pastor Tom ignores answering questions that criticize the church for offering clarity. For instance, Gifty and other youths have questions that challenge the church's teachings and doctrines, but Pastor Tom intentionally ignores them. Therefore, the church only wants the youth to believe everything religion teaches and shun science. On the other hand, the youths want to know why the church disapproves of science, but the church refuses to address such concerns. Therefore, the church becomes a hypocritical entity when it is biased and refuses to accept criticism.
