Lake

Santa Lora Lake is a symbol of the town itself. In Chapter 19, the narrator shows how the lake is significant to everyone in the novel because it is important to the whole town. The lake also reflects the state the town is in throughout the novel. Whenever the lake is mentioned, it draws parallels to what the town is doing. When the "timeline grows murky," the lake is described as muddy (122). When the town is struggling with how many are infected with the virus, the lake's water levels are at the lowest they have ever been.

Drought

The drought takes on a masculine energy throughout the novel. It represents scarcity in that the town does not have enough resources because of drought, but it also represents consistency because it has been around for so long, steadily but evenly causing the destruction of life around the town...