Corset

The corset Melody wears in the opening chapter is a symbol for tradition. On its own, the accessory is a tribute to an older time, complemented with garters and silk stockings, signaling to the reader an emphasis on tradition. Furthermore, it marks the ancestral nature of the birth celebration and the importance of legacy and tradition in Melody's household. The antiquated accessory, Melody explains, “was as old as the house my father and I shared with my grandparents” (4). This corset is representative of a tradition within Melody's family, going back through a "generation of mothers showing daughters" (4).

Money

Money serves as an important symbol of status and security throughout the novel. Perhaps the most important symbolization of this is within the perspective of Sabe. She tells the reader in the opening pages of her narrative that "if you want to survive, you have to put money...