Addie Ann’s swing in the novel is one example of symbolism, representing her “swing” between youth and adulthood. As the text opens, Addie Ann is “soaring through the sky on [her] swing” as she thinks of her graduation from elementary school and her impending start at middle school in the fall (1). Her use of the swing throughout the novel continues, often in moments when she contemplates the events of the novel and their impact on her life. For example, after Elias goes missing, she goes to her swing with Delilah, as “together [they] swing in silence, back and forth to the rhythm of Mama’s wails” (52). The swing—a toy used in youth for enjoyment—here represents Addie Ann’s desire to escape the realities of growing up but being unable to because of the infiltration of her mother’s grief.

Similarly, as the Black community plans to go to the garden picking and she considers whether to ignore her Mama’s warning and attend, she sits on her swing and considers the day: “From my seat on the swing, I see the sky’s soft blue it only turns fall mornings. A few stars still sparkle.