The Leopard

The Leopard symbolizes the strength and resilience of the village of Kosawa. In the legendary origin story of the village, three ancestral brothers capture a leopard and then, at her request, free her, so that she can care for her children. As a token of her gratitude, the leopard shares her blood with the brothers, making them indestructible. Throughout the novel, the leopard is mentioned when the fate of Kosawa is discussed: “Mama reminds us that our people carry the blood of the leopard, but she seems to forget that leopards are disappearing; few remain in our part of the world” (341).

Gardens

Gardens, the site of the Pexton laborers’ dwellings, represents the hypocrisy of Pexton. The irony implicit in the name is that, whereas gardens cultivate vegetables and flowers that enrich the land, Pexton’s oil drilling destroys the land. As Thula’s father explains...