Metaphor for legacy
Before leaving, the woman plants in the backyard a bonsai tree she is unable to take with her. The bonsai tree is an important element because it is a metaphor used by the author to make reference to the things the family leaves behind, their legacy that continues to live on even if they leave their home to go to an unknown place.
Metaphor for the Japanese people
The White dog is an important element in the story because it has a metaphorical meaning. The White Dog was adopted by the woman who took care of it and feed it regularly. Ironically however, the reason why the dog died was because it trusted its human friends too much. In a similar fashion, the Japanese population in American chose to trust their government and to think that nothing bad will happen to them. The Japanese trusted the American government to take care of them. This however did not happen and the Japanese suffered because the trusted the government too much. In this sense, the Dog is used here as a metaphor to make reference to the Japanese people.
The end of their life as they knew it
In the first chapter, it is mentioned that the mother always wore white gloves. On her last day in her house, the mother took care of all sort of dirty actions, including killing the White Dog. After killing the dog, the gloves are stained and the mother buried the gloves alongside the dog. The burial of the gloves is metaphorical because the mother buries a part of herself that night and she gives away a part of herself. The gloves and their burial are used here to indicate just that.
Censored letter
While on the train, the girl reads a letter her father sent to her from the place where he was hidden. Towards the end of the letter, the father put a P.S. that was however blacken out by those who delivered and checked the mail. The author compares indirectly the censored letter with the story of the Asian family. Just how the girl can’t read everything about her father from the letter, the reader is unable to find certain details about the Asian family from the book since the author leaves out on purpose certain details and important aspects about the family’s life.
Metaphor for freedom
In the second chapter, the girl and the boy spot a white mustang running alongside the train when one of the windows breaks when the train passes through a town. The children look at the mustang, marveling and how free it seems and how it reminds them of the time they spent home. It is clear thus to assume that the mustang is used here as a metaphor for freedom and for the idea of home.
