Drenched in Light

The white shell road that Isis lives on with her grandmother, brother, and father symbolizes exploration. Isis spends the first half of the story craving experiences outside of the fence that surrounds her family home. She sits on the fence post to watch cars that drive by, fascinated by the world that exists outside of her reach. She calls the road “her great attraction” to illustrate how it captures her attention compared to the rest of her surroundings (45). This road allows her to experience life as a dancer and then provides her an opportunity to go to a new town with Helen. Not only does the road symbolize Isis’s desire to explore, but it being white illustrates new possibilities she has yet to experience—a clean slate. Isis’s characterization exudes innocence, and her wish to explore the world encapsulates her hope and faith that the world is wonderful. She believes this road will take her to the stories in her daydreams. Hurston implies through this description that the road will allow Isis to develop her own identity away from her grandmother’s watchful eye, relating to the theme of Developing One’s Identity in the story.