55 pages • 1 hour read
Homecoming
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Symbols & Motifs
The Ocean
Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses mental illness, domestic violence, food insecurity, and child hunger.
Throughout Homecoming, the ocean is a dynamic backdrop to which the children consistently return. The sea represents freedom, hope, and escape while symbolizing an uncertain world's uncontrollable dangers. Dicey ties all representations together when she thinks, “Everybody who was born was cast onto the sea. Winds would blow them in all directions. Tides would rise and turn, in their own rhythm. And the boats—they just went along as best they could, trying to find a harbor” (244); she then admits to herself that she doesn’t really want to find a metaphorical harbor (home). Dicey grows into a bold risk-taker during the narrative. Disappointed by adults and authority figures meant to protect her, Dicey toys with the idea of traveling permanently, like a boat forever out to sea.
On numerous occasions, the ocean offers the Tillermans protection and rest. They find shelter and sustenance in the Rockland State Park public beach, where James and Sammy want to stay indefinitely. The children use a rowboat to cross a vast river, and a gentle current pushes the children in the right direction. Dicey enjoys “stretch[ing] the muscles in her back and arms, [leaning] back and then pull[ing] forward against the oars” (99), illustrating how she enjoys a challenge. Dicey remembers her ambitions apart from caring for her siblings when she sails Jerry and Tom’s sailboat. Finally, the children relearn how to rest, laugh, and play together while swimming in Abigial’s marsh.
Still, the ocean confronts the Tillermans with danger and limitations. James falls and hits his head on the rock by the sea, and Dicey realizes how little she can do to get help should any one of her siblings become severely injured. Later, the children reach a vast bay too wide to swim, no boat available, and a bridge with no walkway. Thinking of crossing the bridge, Dicey believes the devil would “be chasing them from both directions then […] he’d catch you either way” (90). Dicey experiences a rare moment of defeat at this intersection, which ultimately forces the children into a more populated area where they benefit from the kindness of strangers and restore their trust in humanity.
Maps
Throughout their journey, the Tillermans grapple with the concept of home and belonging as they navigate difficult terrain. Maps represent the children’s internal landscapes, guiding them through unfamiliar emotional experiences after losing their mother and home. As Dicey leads the children south to Eunice’s house and then Abigial’s farmhouse, she learns that home is not something she can pinpoint on a map; rather, it is a state of mind, a place where she feels accepted, safe, and loved.
Maps initially serve as a comfort and source of guidance for the children, which proves especially true when Dicey loses her first map: “We’ll just have to keep going and see what happens. If I had my map I could see where the water is and we could fish or clam or find mussels. I need a map” (83). The loss of this map proves all the more emotionally difficult for Dicey because her mother left the map behind before leaving the children. This initial map is one of the few remaining tangible artifacts the children have of their mother. Dicey feels lost, physically and emotionally, without her map. She spends a day working for a store clerk and uses a significant portion of the children’s money to purchase a new map, signifying the value of maps to the Tillermans.
Music and Songs
Music and singing appear in most of Homecoming’s chapters, symbolizing the Tillermans’ resilience and ability to see light and beauty in the darkest times. The children frequently sing as they walk, distracting themselves from their aching feet and hunger pains. However, they also sing and listen to instruments when they find temporary safe havens; their singing and songs become a family ritual and source of comfort, not unlike a mealtime prayer or bedtime routine.
For Maybeth, music is a way to communicate when she cannot find words to express her feelings. Music and singing represent the significance of human connection for Maybeth and her siblings. The Tillermans struggle to ask for help and trust others at the onset of their journey. However, on the few occasions the Tillermans meet trustworthy people, they play instruments and sing together; Louis and Edie play an autoharp, and Stewart plays a dobro while Maybeth sings. Without instruction or practice, the strangers harmonize with each other and know the same lyrics, underscoring the subtle links in humanity.
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