Temple Folk

What is the symbolism of the swan in the short-story, New Mexico, from the collection, Temple Folk?

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In "New Mexico," the Swan is a symbol for the covert racism that high-ranking members of the Nation of Islam traffic in even though they are ostensibly vehemently anti-racist. The Swan is the code name for one of Elijah Muhammad's white wives, and Calvin, a Black FBI agent, is tasked with partnering with a white FBI agent to get information from her. Regardless of the fact that she is married to the leader of an organization that explicitly preaches the need for Black equality, she still calls Calvin a racial slur when he assumes the role of busboy to clean their table.

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