Prophet Song

Content Warning: This section of the Study Guide discusses police brutality, torture, and violence, including the murders of children.

White is a representation of resistance in Prophet Song. Eilish associates “dark” or “darkness” with the regime throughout the novel. In contrast, the color white often symbolizes peace, harmony, and purity. White becomes the color to mark oneself as anti-regime, implying that the regime is the antithesis of peace and goodness. This display of resistance first appears after four boys are arrested, tortured, and killed; protestors advocating for justice wear white. Eilish also wears a white scarf to work, which draws suspicion from her pro-regime boss. With little recourse to find and save her husband, Eilish uses the white scarf to present herself in solidarity with Larry. The scarf is also a sign of character development, because when white first appears as a symbol of protest, Eilish refuses to let her children wear the color. Her white scarf therefore represents her shift from a passive victim of the state to active protestor, representing one of the only ways she can practice autonomy. Molly also ties white ribbons in a tree to count the weeks her father has been gone.