Woodson uses the highway and bridges to represent societal divides and connection, respectively. A highway separates Frannie’s neighborhood, where most residents are people of color, from an affluent white neighborhood. As Frannie notes, “There weren’t white people on this side of the highway. You didn’t notice until one appeared. And then you saw all the brown and light brown everywhere. And then you started to wonder” (16). As this excerpt illustrates, the highway figures prominently in Frannie and the other characters’ awareness of societal divides, particularly those based on race. Throughout the novel, characters allude to the symbol when discussing divisions, such as when Trevor tells the Jesus Boy, “Don’t no pale-faces go to this school. You need to get your white butt across the highway” (3). Although Trevor’s bullying seeks to build up divisions, other characters challenge the highway and what it stands for. The Jesus Boy’s family are the only characters shown crossing the highway. Their move into Frannie’s neighborhood demonstrates that this barrier is permeable to a degree and that societal divisions needn’t be absolute even though they are sometimes presented as such. Similarly, Frannie challenges societal divisions when she declares that hope is “[a]cross the highway and on this side too” (80). Woodson presents the highway as a symbol of division in order to advocate for greater recognition of people’s common humanity across racial differences and other societal divides.

As a symbol of connection, bridges counter the division of the highway. Sean introduces the symbol as a thought experiment in Chapter 3, reflecting, “Imagine if somebody built a bridge right outside our window and we could just walk across the highway and be on the other side” (16). This symbol is born out of Sean’s longing to experience what life is like for other people and to connect with those who are different from himself, such as girls his age who can hear. The symbol returns in the novel’s final chapter when Simon & Garfunkel’s song “Bridge Over Troubled Water” plays on the Wright-Barnes family’s stereo: “When darkness comes, he sings, and pain is all around. I will comfort you” (117). The song develops the novel’s symbolism and contributes to the resolution’s peaceful, hopeful mood by expressing the healing power of connection. Just as a bridge joins two locations, genuine connection bridges divisions in society and serves as a source of strength and beauty.