The Pelican Bar

The Pelican Bar symbolizes resistance and self-identity. Mama Strong attempts to oppress the girls by forcing them to reveal all of their secrets, but Norah resists by maintaining thoughts of the Pelican Bar as a secret and a symbolic representation of her sense of self.

The Facility

The facility symbolizes societal structures of oppression and mutual harm. Mama Strong organized the facility around torturing the teenagers and forcing them to harm one another. Thus, the facility parallels real-world societal dynamics of oppression and self-interest.

Mama Strong

Mama Strong is a personified representation of humanity’s capacity for evil. Her motivations are never clear beyond a simple desire to harm, dominate, and spread tendencies towards evil behavior. At the end of the story, Mama Strong states that harm and evil can be found throughout humanity.

Parents’ Letters

The letters from Norah’s parents symbolize complacency...