Symbols in "Killers of the Flower Moon"
David Grann's "Killers of the Flower Moon" is a masterful work of narrative non-fiction that employs several powerful symbols to enhance its storytelling and themes. Let's dive into some of the most prominent symbols in the book and explore their significance.
The Osage Headrights
One of the most crucial symbols in the book is the Osage headright - the legal right to profit from oil found on Osage land.
NoteThe headright represents not just wealth, but also the complex relationship between the Osage people and their land, as well as the greed that ultimately led to their exploitation and murder.
"The headright was like a key to a vault. It unlocked the tribe's underground reservoir of oil, which could be tapped for a lifetime."
This symbol serves multiple purposes:
- It represents the Osage's connection to their ancestral lands
- It symbolizes the sudden wealth that made the Osage targets
- It embodies the legal complexities that allowed for exploitation
The headright becomes a double-edged sword - a source of both prosperity and peril for the Osage people.
The Prairie
The vast prairie of Oklahoma serves as a potent symbol throughout the narrative. It represents:
- The Osage's ancestral homeland
- The changing landscape of America
- The hidden dangers lurking beneath a seemingly peaceful surface
Grann often describes the prairie in ways that foreshadow the dark events to come:
"The prairie was now in full bloom, with knee-high grass and wildflowers of blue and yellow and red, but beneath this idyllic surface something sinister was brewing."
The prairie becomes a metaphor for the deceptive nature of the crimes - beautiful on the surface, but hiding deadly secrets underneath.
Oil
Oil serves as a multifaceted symbol in the book:
- Wealth and prosperity
- Corruption and greed
