Flowers symbolize the beauty of nature, which can inspire and improve life even in the worst of times. While enslaved, Rose, fittingly named after a flower, finds joy in picking flowers and using them to decorate her cabin. She shares this joy with her children, and they come to associate flowers with maternal love and warmth. Mrs. Crumb punishes the family for picking flowers she plants, illustrating her attempt to control enslaved people; this control becomes so ingrained in Ada that she still anticipates punishment while in Freewater. In Freewater, people use wildflowers to decorate. They embrace the swamp in all its beauty, rather than fearing or seeing it as something that should be destroyed or conquered, like lumber company workers do. The people of Freewater also treat flowers, plants, and crops differently than plantation owners. They don’t overharvest, always leaving enough flora and such to keep thriving. This is because they respect “Mother Swamp” and are in a partnership with her. Again, flowers symbolize the beauty of nature, which thrives in a community like Freewater where nature is respected.