Water

Water symbolizes life, especially when the water shortage becomes a water crisis that ends with hundreds of thousands of desperate people and thousands of deaths.

Kelton's Gun

Kelton has a pistol that he begins carrying the night he stays at Alyssa's house, and Alyssa notes that this gun “represents everything that I hate about the world” (101). That feeling is based on how things were before the water stopped, and Alyssa and the others begin to view this gun and other guns as power and protection.

The AquaViva Box

Henry has the AquaViva Box. He believes the box is filled with bottled water. It actually contains pamphlets advertising the company. The box symbolizes his desperation and his willingness to mislead Alyssa and her group. To the others, the box symbolizes hope because they believe there is water in it. When the others discover his lie, they are...