Ruth

Ruth is Gillette's dog, and she symbolizes their escape from his biological father's cruelty. Gillette and Sunny's father go to Gillette's biological father's house to get Boo and they retrieve Ruth as well.

The Swimming Pool

While the pool symbolizes freedom, summer, and a place to get cool for Sunny, it also represents the inequality facing black children for Raymond. It is significant that both Sunny and Raymond sneak into the pool after dark one night. Sunny feels happy and free because she is not required to wear her swimming cap, and Raymond feels happy because he is swimming in the beautiful pool instead of the nearby river.

Baseball

Baseball symbolizes a possible way out of the life of poverty for Raymond. The fact that the baseball fields are segregated becomes an issue to Raymond, who points out that the field used by whites is better...