What does the Pit represent?

The pit symbolizes social and economic oppression. The pit is a large pauper’s grave, and it is occupied mostly by African-Americans who have been interred in the cemetery. It is also occupied by Eddie and Betsy Baron, who lived and died in poverty. The racial segregation that the pit represents helps to highlight the themes of race that are present throughout the novel. Moreover, the presence of Eddie and Betsy Baron in the pit help to highlight their economic destitution and the state of ignominy they held in life and continue to hold in death.