Hoover uses the ocean as a symbol with multiple meanings. For Beyah, the ocean is the destination that is furthest from the trailer park where she grew up, something that she had not seen since she was a child, a sight too awesome to completely apprehend. When she wakes on the ferry for the first time, she sees the ocean and feels overwhelmed by the beauty and the smell of it, wondering how others can be so complacent about its majesty. In the same way that she is tentative and cautious in accepting her stepfamily and in her romance with Samson, so she is cautious in gradually entering the ocean, until at last she allows herself to be immersed in it without hesitation. For Beyah, the ocean is symbolic of her limitless new life.

For other primary characters in the story, such as Sara and Marcos, the ocean symbolizes joy, vitality, and renewal. They gravitate to it daily as an endless source of energy. As soon as Beyah arrives at the beach, Sara constantly tries to take her to the water. When Beyah asks what is at the beach, Sara responds, “The beach is at the beach. That’s all you need” (81).