Abilene’s compass is a gift from her father. It has the date of Ned’s death on it. A compass is a tool to help one find their direction; however, Abilene’s compass is broken. It symbolizes her directionless, wandering life until she learns the truth about Manifest. Abilene thinks, “I like imagining that the chain of that broken compass was long enough to stretch all the way back into his pocket, with him at one end and me at the other” (2). The compass represents Abilene’s strongest link to her father, even though she loses it twice. It would be gone for good if Shady and Miss Sadie didn’t keep it. Each of them performs the function of the compass for her. Shady and Miss Sadie both guide Abilene through her questions as best they can.

In Miss Sadie’s story about coming to America, she gives Benedek a locket that has a compass in it. She says that her heart is the real compass. The compasses symbolize the parents’ need to love and guide their children. At the end of the novel, Abilene knows what direction to go in. The compass can return to its status as a memento instead of being utilized as a tool.