Prince of Tides

With the redemptive power of nature and environmentalism being important themes, animals and other natural objects are imbued with great symbolic value. The book begins with these important lines by Tom: “My wound is geography. It is also my anchorage, my port of call” (1). These lines signify that while the characters sometimes feel trapped by their rural, parochial upbringing, its natural bounty provides them a sanctuary. The tides and marshes of Colleton form an Edenic garden for the Wingo children where they live in harmony with the moon, the marsh hens, the porpoises, the shrimp, and the rise and fall of waters. Here, Snow, the white porpoise, is a symbol of the purest part of nature and the most innocent, pristine aspect of the childhood of the Wingo children. Snow’s capture symbolizes that the harmony between children and nature is always interrupted by the materialistic, capitalistic forces of the outside world. On the other hand, Snow’s rescue by the Wingo children shows that children and young people are the only hope to build a new world order. The world of adults has failed in that aspect.

Like Papa John’s black widow spiders attacking Otis in Tolitha’s house, Caesar the tiger also represents nature as a savior. Caesar is further identified with Luke, both representing raw power. Further, the tiger itself is associated with Jesus Christ in Christian imagery. Thus, Caesar and Luke represent the dual power of nature and religion. However, such power cannot last in the contemporary world, which is why both Caesar and Luke eventually perish. Both die in Colleton; both are beasts caged by social norms. Other natural symbols such as the moon and flowers are associated with Lila. Traditionally in literature, moon imagery is linked with femininity, mystery, and ambiguity, traits Tom often associates with his mother. Lila’s wearing flowers in her hair shows her oneness with nature; however, when she stops the practice to appease society, she makes a symbolic breach with the natural world. For Tom, complex as Lila is, she is always associated with igniting her children’s imagination and creativity by exposing them to wonders of nature. As Lila turns towards the world of the Newburys—the material world—she begins to drift away from her children and nature itself.