Tooth (symbol)
A massive tooth that wags above Schultz's carriage symbolizes his ostensible profession as a dentist, which gives him cover for his actual profession as a bounty hunter. Not unlike the way that a dentist extracts rotted teeth, Schultz exterminates wanted criminals, symbolizing his removal of corrupt outlaws from the fabric of society. Tarantino symbolizes the antagonism at play by figuring Schultz as a dentist and his mortal enemy named "Candie" (which, as we all know, rots teeth) and his plantation, Candyland. Through this symbolism, he creates a dramatic expectation that Schultz and Candie will reach a confrontation at the end of the film.
Siegfried and Broomhilda (allegory)
The German myth of Siegfried and Broomhilda provides an allegory for Django's rescue of his wife. Schultz refers to Django as "a real-life Siegfried" given how noble and committed he is to the quest of rescuing his wife, also named Broomhilda, from the clutches of Calvin Candie. In the film, the "Hot Box" in which Broomhilda is kept is an ironic subversion of the ring of fire in which Bromhilda is kept on the mountaintop. The "dragon" that guards Broomhilda in the myth could refer either to Candie himself or Stephen, his loyal and dangerous servant.
Sweets (motif)
In Django Unchained, immorality and evil are linked to sweet and sugary foods. When Stephen realizes that Django and Broomhilda know each other, he attempts to lure Candie into the next room under the pretense of discussing "dessert." After Candie realizes he has been swindled and extorts Django and Schultz at gunpoint, he invites them into the adjoining room to have "white cake." Even Candie's name suggests sugary food, as does the name of the plantation Candyland, which is essentially a pit of evil from which Django and Broomhilda must escape.
German (motif)
As a relatively enlightened German, Schultz is perplexed by how devoted Southern Americans remain to the barbaric practice of human slavery. He tells Django the German myth of Siegfriend and Broomhilda, says "Auf Wiedersehen," before killing Bennett, and asks Candie if he can meet with Broomhilda under the pretense of wanting to speak German with her. Schultz becomes visibly angry upon hearing the German composition "Fur Elise" played by a harpist in Candie's mansion, and refuses to tell Candie, "Auf Wiedersehen." Crucially, the parting words Django says to Schultz's corpse are "Auf Wiedersehen."
French (motif)
Whereas Germanic culture as a motif represents Schultz's intelligence and anti-racism, references to France and French culture represent the bald attempts made by Candie and others to dress their barbarity up in a civilized veneer. Leonide Moguy, Candie's lawyer, tells Django and Schultz that Candie is a Francophile—though he does not speak French. Candie pretentiously insists that those around him refer to him as "Monsier Can-die," and generally carries an air or refinement and elegance that he hopes will distract from the fact that he is a dilettante obsessed with bloodsport. Schultz mocks Candie for not knowing that D'Artagnan, the name of one of his slaves, derives from a work by a black French author (Alexandre Dumas).
Handbill (symbol)
Schultz gives Django his first handbill for killing the wanted criminal Smitty Bacall. Django hesitates before committing the murder, given that Smitty Bacall's son is standing nearby, but does so when Schultz insists. Schultz giving Django the handbill symbolizes the fact that he is helping Django develop crucial survival skills, which he needs later in the film in order to survive. After Schultz is killed, Django uses Smitty Bacall's handbill to convince his Australian transporters that a bounty awaits back at Candyland, using precisely the same fast-talking skills that Schultz used earlier in the film to swindle Bennett, Candie, and others.
Blue suit (symbol)
Django's blue suit, which he selects from Schultz's wardrobe in Chattanooga, is a symbol that signifies Django's transformation from a lowly slave into a princely hero. The blue outfit is an allusion to the 1779 Thomas Gainsborough painting "The Blue Boy"—a full-length portrait in oil of the son of a wealthy merchant. The image of Django in the blue suit, whipping Roger Ellis at the Bennett plantation, dramatically reverses the power dynamics that typically governed antebellum Southern society, in which black men and women were required to be subservient to their white overseers.
