Animal Imagery
In multiple passages throughout the novel, black slaves are described as being like obedient animals who have been trained to respect their masters. These descriptions occur when they are lined up at the pier, or when At-mun is asked to obey an order. This imagery is disheartening; it reflects the unfortunate reality of the times. There is, however, hope in opposition to this image, as seen by Amos's gradual acceptance into society.
Racial Imagery
The theme of the conflict between people of different skin color is clearly a large one here, and the color of a person's skin determines a lot about their status in America. There are frequently scenes filled with imagery of black men put on display or ordered to do hard work while white men stand around and talk or observe. This injustice is heightened by this particular strain of imagery.
Royalty Imagery
At-mun is a prince among his own people when the slavers invade, and when his father dies in the action, he becomes a king. Despite this, he is forced to become a slave. The imagery of a king returns, however; when he reads the Bible with Copeland's daughter, she tells him that he will be a king in Heaven, and he holds on to this fact of Christianity. Later, when he becomes head of his own household, he again has the role of king in his new tribe: his family.
Slave Ship Imagery
Slavery is a terrible truth of the times, and slavers would regularly employ Africans to seize their own countrymen and sell them to white men in exchange for goods from Europe. The slave ship Amos is transported on, called The White Falcon, has particularly notable imagery: a falcon is a fast and fierce bird of prey, and the way it dove in and snatched Amos from his tribal life lives up to the habits of its namesake.
