The crows
The crows are symbols of nature. They represent the limitations of Sadie's life with regards to knowledge, because they give her magical insight into her own life, her family history, and the sins of her forefathers, to the fourth generation. They even teleport her backward in time and continue guiding her and teaching her. They are representations of her own curious nature, and they also symbolize her eligibility for truth. Not everyone gets to see the truth the way she does.
Time as a motif
Time is a motif in this novel because the plot is shaped by time travel and also because time is a major symbol in the book. The peak symbolism of time is a pool of water that Sadie discovers walking in the wilderness. She finds the water and feels a powerful, mystical attachment to whoever designed the rock altar around the water. This sacred pool makes her consider time until she attains some secret insight. She appreciates the past and recognizes the absurdity of human experience.
The water motif
The water is also part of a motif. There is that important religious use of water described above, but also, water is the same chaotic element that washes away evidence of a heinous murder covered up by Sadie's grandfather, Clarry, who floods the entire valley by breaking a dam for business purposes. The major symbolism of water is that is chaotic and useful for life. It symbolizes the duality of man's subjection to nature; we depend on water for life, but water can also drown us. Sadie sees water and relates it to time.
The patriarch
Clarry is a symbolic character for at least three reasons: Firstly, he is a literal patriarch. He is the patriarch to Sadie's own family, the pioneering soul who established them in Victoria in the first place. He also symbolizes patriarchy because he is fantastic at business and economic growth. He symbolizes the government and economy rising to power in Australia. Thirdly, he is a symbol for patriarchy's brokenness, because he brushes a murder under the rug and hides the body to help business run smoothly.
The naturalistic martyr
The dead man is clearly a symbol. The novel positions Jimmy Raven as a martyr, because he dies on behalf of his religious beliefs. He is a divine post that forces the area men to commit undeniable evil in the name of their desires. That is the functionality of his symbolic martyrdom. What that really means is just this: in the name of the sacredness of life, Jimmy is killed, which proves to the reader that the businessmen are willing to commit evil to get what they want. His death is the proof of their injustice.
