This Motherless Land

Content warning: This section of the guide discusses death and self-harm. 

The pearl necklaces that are owned by Lizzie and Margot symbolize the contentious relationship between the two. They were first purchased by their parents, when Lizzie picked hers out in a jewelry store. Even though Margot had already gotten a gift for her 18th birthday, she threw a fit over the beauty and cost of Lizzie’s necklace, causing Grandpa to buy her the same one. The origin of the necklaces reveals the contentious relationship between Lizzie and Margot, as well as the greedy and manipulative nature of Margot, which will become more apparent throughout the text.

After Funke’s mother and brother die, the necklace becomes an important keepsake. She secretly takes the necklace from her mother’s room—before her father’s mother can take it—and hides it, keeping it a secret for eight years in London. As Funke grapples with the loss of her mother, brother, and her home in Nigeria, she keeps the necklace as a connection to her past, wearing it for the first time at the age of 18. Additionally, after Lizzie’s death, the relationship between Lizzie and Margot no longer exists, just as the necklace is kept hidden from view.