Dragonfly Bracelets Symbol Analysis

The dragonfly bracelets that Judy Stafford, Rill Foss, Fern Foss, and Lark Foss all wear symbolizes their common heritage and shared identity as Queenie and Briny’s children. The dragonfly bracelets contain three dragonflies (one for each of the lost Foss children: Camellia, Gabion, and Shad) and represent the sisters’ connection to the Mississippi River. When Judy was diagnosed with dementia, she left her granddaughter, Avery, her bracelet with a note saying that the stones (garnet, sapphires, and onyx) represent love and remembrance. Because Judy, Rill, Fern, and Lark keep their relationship and personal histories a secret, wearing the dragonfly bracelets is how they keep each other close when they can’t physically be together. The bracelets provide a constant reminder of where they come from and all of the hardships that the sisters have had to overcome in their lives after Georgia Tann kidnapped, separated, and sold them. Notably, Judy leaves her bracelet to Avery, who is the only one of Judy’s grandchildren to have inherited the Foss family’s characteristic curly blond hair. In other words, because Avery looks like a Foss, Judy decides to give her a visible symbol of the secret connection between the Staffords and the Fosses. Although Avery doesn’t know it, whenever she wears the dragonfly bracelet, she is also keeping that heritage alive because of what the bracelet represents.