What is an example of symbolism in the novel, The Colony?

Boats are symbolic both of James's fear of becoming like his father and Lloyd's distress at finding himself in a totally different cultural context than the one he is used to. Lloyd and James bond over their shared dislike of boats, but they do not seem to realize that their hesitation about them comes from different places. Thus, boats stand in not only as symbols for these respective fears, but also as a means of articulating the misunderstanding that exists between Lloyd and James as a result of their cultural difference, and perhaps even the impossibility of a true friendship being forged between colonizer and colonized.