Symbols

Iguana: The captured and tied up iguana is synonymous to Shannon's desperation, like the captured iguana, Shannon is at the end of his rope.  

We can see Shannon’s desperation: like the iguana that has been captured and tied up to be fattened for the dinner table, Shannon is at the end of his tether

Shannon is straining against the bonds of society and fighting a losing battle. The iguana could also be seen as a symbol of the human condition.

The rum-cocos, which Maxine constantly tries to push on Shannon, are a symbol of her sexuality. The storm that threatens throughout the play parallels Shannon’s life-changing dilemma.

The iguana represents suffering and trying to get out or away from the unknown. It's a gnawing pain that neither of them can stand. In her mind she thinks that the writers are intentionally hiding things from her that she has a right to know. Really, all they want is a little space from the nosy crazy person. She has very sensitive feelings and thinks that they are intentionally attacking her feelings. What she doesn’t realize is that there is nothing to know. She could figure it out if she just opens her eyes.

Costa Verde as a rabbit's warren of collapsing adobe and vine entangled arbors, symbolic of the character's shattered emotional state.

Shannon's adored hammock, a tiny oasis of sanity and solace surrounded by the sublime implacability of the ever-encroaching jungle