Many of the novel’s pivotal moments happen in proximity to a river. Both significant encounters with Emmett happen here—Hiram’s saving him from drowning and also R.C. Rydell’s torturing of him. While Hiram often sees the river as a place of calm and relaxation, where he can be lulled into sleep by the sound of the water, it is also a source of anxiety. His inability to stand up to R.C. leaves him feeling shameful and guilty. The river is also where Emmett’s dead and mutilated body is found. The river, too, is a place of solace; Naomi and Hiram meet on the bridge overlooking the Yazoo River, their special place for being alone with one another and working through their difficult thoughts and feelings. 

Grampa’s truck is the means for all of Hiram’s adventures. As a young child, they would take the pickup through Grampa’s fields, where Hiram first noticed without fully comprehending the treatment of and conditions for Grampa’s black workers. The truck is also the means for getting to the river for various fishing excursions. After his stroke, however, Grampa is unable to drive the truck himself, so it becomes a vehicle constantly on loan to those in the neighborhood.