Symbols

The Day:
    The Day is an expression used to describe the day that America was bombed by Russia in a war. The scene was set in Fort Repose who lost power due to a bomb or missile hitting Orlando, which was the power supply for Fort Repose. "The Day" is used all over Fort Repose so that everyone knows what day you are talking about. Later on, it is discovered that other people cal The Day things like H-Day, meaning Hell Day or Hydrogen Day.

Dog/Cat Changes:
    Another symbol in this story is how the house pets change so drastically. The first time we see this is when Florence's cat, Sir Percy, eats one of her African Lovebirds, Anthony. Florence was very confused because the cat had never done anything like that before, but she later realizes that he isn't being fed any more regularly than people after The Day, which causes him to act like the wild animal that he evolved from hundreds of years before.

    The second, and final time we see this, Ben Franklin shoots what he originally thought to be a wolf coming to eat pigs and chickens that the family held in a barn. As it turns out, the "wolf" is actually a very large German Shepherd that was also not being fed. All the animal was trying to do was get food, but he was no longer a house pet or trained dog, but instead more like a wolf than it has ever been.