Melrose Island

The Wingo homestead is the embodiment of unspoiled nature.

Colleton

The small South Carolina shrimping town is a figure of the vanishing south along with its historic attitudes.

The Miss Lila

Henry's shrimp boat is the tangible evidence of Henry's love for his wife.

Snow

The albino porpoise symbolizes all the hopes and aspirations of the Colleton people.

Caesar's Cage

The cage represents the captivity felt in one way or another by all of the family.

The Cross

Grandpa Amos carries the cross every year on Good Friday, and it is a symbol of both Amos' religiosity and the burden he carries in trying to save the souls of his fellow man.

Callanwolde

The forbidden forest represents all of the threatening dangers that confront the Wingo children.

Black Widow Spiders

Papa John's black widow spiders are comparable to Lila, who is both dangerous and beautiful.

Bathsheba