Sophie’s Foot

Sophie’s foot symbolizes meaningless superficial differences. Sophie’s swollen foot and her six toes technically make her a mutant, but David sees that she is a regular kid— even braver than most. David’s encounter with Sophie and her foot represents the first instance of disillusionment in his life. It causes him to realize that Waknuk’s extreme piety is ignorant, in fact causing harm to innocent people like Sophie. Her foot may be disfigured, but the people of Waknuk are the ones who are truly disfigured mentally-speaking.

The City on the Bay

David’s recurring dream of a big city on the bay represents a sense of destiny and salvation. The novel comes full circle when David ends up in Sealand, the same city he dreamt about as a child. The city on the bay takes on a sense of inevitability, insinuating...