Frog as Accidental Allegory for Guerrilla Leader
While he is being tortured, Alicia's husband is determined to say nothing that could be construed as admitting to knowing who the guerrillas are or how to contact them. So he recites a nursery rhyme about a frog. Unfortunately, the interrogators interpret the rhyme about the frog hopping around, free and unable to be found, as a mocking reference to a guerrilla leader they are hoping to find and catch. They misinterpret the rhyme about the frog as an allegory for the guerrilla leader's evasive behavior.
River Rerouting as Allegory for Repression of Popular Will
In another accidental allegory, a poem by Alicia Partnoy gets her in trouble. She has written about a stream near her home that was rerouted as part of a building development. She misses it, and she feels a sense of loss because of the change, although the stream is still flowing underground. Other people who read or hear the poem interpret it not in a literal way but as a criticism of how the Argentine government was repressing the natural or legitimate will of the people. The poem was not written with the intent of criticizing government or social development, but people interpreted it that way.
Shoe Flower as Symbol of Hope
Flowers are traditionally associated with springtime, renewal, life, fertility, and potential. When Alicia (or the character representing Alicia) is first captured, she is without shoes. So after being blindfolded she is given shoes to slip on, and she notices that one shoe is decorated with a plastic flower but the other is not. The fact that she can still see a little bit despite being blindfolded gives her a small sense of hope and a great deal of satisfaction, because her captors believe she is completely unable to see.
Blindfold as Symbol of Helplessness
One of the things the guards do to the prisoners to help break their will and reduce the probability of escape is to blindfold them and frequently keep them tied up. The blindfold gives the guards a physical advantage over the prisoners, since the guards can see and the prisoners cannot. Unable to see an impending blow, trip, or other physical attack coming, the prisoners cannot physically or psychologically prepare for the impact. They therefore live expecting to be struck at any time.
Jacket as Symbol of Protection
Alicia is given a jacket that belonged to another prisoner, who-- it is suggested-- is someone she knew during her previous life. It protects her from the cold especially at night and it takes the edge off of the blows when she is beaten. Her friend is gone, having been taken away from the "school", and is most likely dead, yet he leaves behind something that protects her in a way that he personally could not.
