What do rabbits symbolize in the novel, The Colony?

Rabbits are symbolic of James's upbringing and the trapped feeling he has on the island. They are also a stand-in for James himself. Rabbits are small and innocent, and they are deeply connected to James's life on the island, as he traps them as a means of providing food for his mother and grandmother. However, as the novel progresses, James becomes angry with the rabbits for falling into the same trap each time, a clear allegory for James's wounded feeling when he realizes that Lloyd has only kept him around so as to steal from him.