What are some symbols in Delta Wedding by Eudora Welty?

There are several symbols in Delta Wedding by Eudora Welty. For example, on page 18, Laura thinks of a cage of tropical birds her father showed her. "The sparkle of motion was like a rainbow," she remembers of the birds. The birds are a symbol of the Fairchild family, who are full of movement like the caged birds. As Laura thinks, they are always "flying against the bad things happening" (page 18). Like the birds, the Fairchilds are quite beautiful, but perhaps, as Laura thinks, they are not quite free. In fact, as the novel goes on, the reader realizes that the Fairchilds are not always free because they are bound to each other. 

Another symbol in the novel is the railroad tracks. On page 23, Welty describes the incident in which Maureen, a cousin who is developmentally disabled, gets her foot caught on the trestle of the railroad tracks when the train is coming. Uncle George stays to rescue her at great risk to himself, and the track and its dangers symbolize Uncle George's commitment to his family. 

Shellmound, the family house, is also a symbol. When Laura sees it on page 6, the house is described as glowing bright and having curved paths, almost like a shell (the name of the house also conjures up the idea of a shell). The house is surrounded by a porch, and it is a symbol of the Fairchild family's closeness and security. Another symbol is Ellen Fairchild's lost pin, which she refers to on page 90. The pin stands for what she has lost, including the idea that she is now losing Dabney, the daughter who is getting married in the novel.