Birds

Birds symbolize escape and freedom, as well as motherhood. Roy calls Patsy Birdie because he has always sensed her need for escape and to fly away from her circumstances. As Patsy leaves for America, she flies away in a plane into the sky, like a bird, leaving behind her attachments. Soon after Patsy leaves, Tru sees a mother bird with her babies in a nest in a tree she has climbed. She watches the mother feed the babies and reaches out to touch them, a symbolic act of reaching out for her own mother's attention and caring. Later, Marva as the new mother figure in Tru's life tries to coax Tru to eat something by feeding her like a bird. Again, Tru's desire for this type of mothering is rebuffed, this time by Roy making demands for Marva's attention.

Hair

Hair symbolizes identity and coming to...