Amabelle is surrounded by and discusses shadows throughout the novel. The first reference comes when she is recalling her father’s warning to her not to play with shadows. Shadows, being visually dark but not tangible, seem to represent suggestions of danger, rather than actual danger. For example, the shadows that Sebastian helps her fight are just dreams, representations of danger but not danger itself. During one of the dreams about her mother, her mom refers to Amabelle as her shadow. This tugs on the idea that Amabelle may create some of her own shadows, that they are not all forced on her externally. Amabelle eventually concludes that all her ancestors are shadows—dark spots on the horizon that disappear as soon as she reaches for them.

The symbol of the kite makes three significant appearances in the book. The first instance takes place when Sebastien is talking in his sleep. He tells Amabelle that he would like to fly a kite, but when she offers her red ribbon for him to fly it, he never responds. The next instance takes place when Amabelle visits Father Romain, hoping he will calm her fears about the possibility of an attack on the Haitians.