Future Home Billboard

The "Future Home of the Living God" (13) billboard that Cedar sees on her way to the reservation is a symbol of the apocalypse that is unfolding over the course of the novel. The sign is intended to reference the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, and the author's decision to use this as the title of the novel implies that Cedar's baby is a messiah-like figure, and Cedar something of a Mary. This is a reference to the theme of Catholicism that permeates the book.

Kateri Tekakwitha Shrine

The shrine erected to Saint Kateri Tekakwitha on the Obijwe reservation is a symbol of the familial harmony between Cedar and Sweetie. Cedar is not prepared to like her biological mother upon their first meeting, but she is impressed by Sweetie's ability to convince the tribal council to build the shrine, and by her Catholic beliefs (something...