Birds

Birds are the dominant symbol throughout the entire novel, so much so that the cover of the novel is taken up by a single peacock. Wherever a character may be, the narration will frequently call attention to the birds that are in the environment, whether they may be irritably squawking or soothing somebody to sleep. In the closing scenes of the book, Dr. Thompson and Jane look at the doctor's flock of semi-wild peacocks and reflect that, in ways physical and spiritual, Jane herself is similar to birds.

Alcohol

When Sylvester begins to drink heavily following the stock market crash of 1929, it signals that he has effectively given up on life, waving a white flag to the world. As he continues to drink, he isolates himself from everyone around him before ultimately dying on a night where he drank heavily. Lon Temple also dies due to...