Captain Forrester is described with many symbolic words. In several instances he is described as a “mountain,” someone who is solid, substantial, and of eminent importance. Mrs. Forrester tells Niel that when Captain Forrester injured himself falling from his horse, it was if a mountain had fallen. He is also described as being like an Indian, meaning he is reticent and a person of action rather than words. He is later described as a Chinese mandarin, meaning he is wise, composed, and dispassionate. This repeated use of symbolic language further emphasizes that Captain Forrester embodies the noble pioneer class.

There are numerous references to roses in the story. When the reader is first introduced to Mrs. Forrester, she is arranging blush roses in a glass bowl. This color of roses symbolizes Mrs. Forrester herself, as the wild pink roses that grow on the Forresters’ land are evocative of her untamed personality. Niel picks wild roses for Mrs. Forrester in the early morning, roses that are “opened, their petals were stained with that burning rose-colour which is always gone by noon—a dye made of sunlight and morning and moisture, so intense that it cannot possibly last […] must fade, like ecstasy” (48).