Symbolism

THE OTHER HAND

What is a Symbol?
A

symbol is (usually) an object in the text which is

used to represent abstract ideas and qualities.

Symbolism

is the use of symbols to convey

ideas/qualities.

It

is a technique that is deliberately used by Cleave

in the novel.

Symbols in the Novel

The

Pound

The

Queens English

Hands/The

Finger

Passages/Crossings
Colours-

Yellow and Grey

The Pound

The pound is the currency of the UK.

The novel opens with LB discussing the pound coin- she says Most days I
wish I was a British pound coin instead of an African girl. Everyone would be
pleased to see me comingA pound coin can go wherever it thinks it will be
safestOf course a pound coin can be serious too. It can disguise itself as
power, or property, and there is nothing more serious when you are a girl
who has neitherA pound is free to travel to safety, and we are free to
watch it goSee how nicely a British pound coin talks? It speaks with the
voice of Queen Elizabeth the Second of England.

What does the pound represent to Little Bee?

What does it help us to understand about Britain?

How does Cleave use the pound to develop the idea of the
extent/limit of charity?

The Queens English

Little Bee is in constant pursuit of the Queens English. What does she mean by this?

She says: I am only alive at all because I learned the Queens English. Maybe you are
thinking, that isnt so hardTo talk the Queens English, I had to forget all the best tricks of
my mother tongueLearning the Queens English is like scrubbing off the bright red varnish
from your toe nails, the morning after a dance. It takes a long time and there is always a
little bit left at the end, a stain of red along the growing edges to remind you of the good
time you hadBut why did I go to all the trouble? It is because of what some of the older
girls explained to me: to survive, you must look good or talk even better. The plain ones and
the silent ones, it seems their paperwork is never in order.

Why is the Queens English so important to Little Bee? Does it ultimately help or
hinder her?

How does it help us understand Cleaves comment on British society?

How does it help us to understand Mans Capacity for Transformation? The fine
line between Hope and Desperation?

Hands/The Finger

Sarah cuts her finger off on a beach in Nigeria to save Little Bees life. Its the
middle finger. Why is it important to the soldier that it is this finger?
What does this allow Cleave to say?

The novel spends a lot of time reminding us of this, discussing the absence of
the finger.

In whose voice are we reminded of the absent finger the most?

What does this help us to understand about this character?

What does it help us to understand about the extent/limit of charity?

How does the loss of the finger help Sarah to develop a sense of
justice?

What does the lost finger symbolise to Lawrence? Charlie? Andrew?

Passages/Crossings

There are a lot of transitory settings or

locations in the novel. What are some
examples of these?

What does a transition from one place

to another symbolise generally?

How can we apply this to the novel

specifically?

How does it relate to Cleaves political

comment?

How does it help Cleave to develop the

idea of transformation?

symbolic of Little
Bees existence?

Colours
Yellow

The colour yellow is discussed in most detail at the

beginning of the novel in relation to yellow sari girl and
her see through plastic bag of yellow.

What does Little Bees interpretation of the girl and her

bag show us about Little Bees attitude to life and her
nature?
What does it show us about the line between hope and
desperation?

When

does LB
discuss the colour in
the novel? What
does she say about
Grey
it? What does this
show us about her
feelings about life?
What

does this help

us to understand
about the refugee
experience and
transformation?