Church

The church in the story is where the white people attend. The white people view their church as one of the last remaining sanctuaries left to them-a sanctuary from black people.

Highway

The highway in the story is where the old woman first sees Jesus. He asks her to follow him and she does, walking along the highway. It is also on the highway where the old woman is later found dead.

The old black woman

The old black woman herself is a symbol to the white people. To the white people she represents many of their fears: a fear of blacks, a fear of the old, of the unknown, of the known, of black people they know, of black people they don't know, and of their hatred.