Methuselah, the Parrot
Methuselah is the pet parrot of Brother Fowles (the previous missionary) that was left behind. Methuselah symbolizes the loss of freedom, as well as the poor outlook for the Congo. Methuselah is kept in a cage and fed by it's owner, therefore it has no freedom or self-will. After Nathan releases the parrot, it continues to keep going back to the Price family because it needs to be fed by humans because it never had the chance to learn how to fend for it's self. Also, because it was never out in the wild, it never learned how to protect it's self from predators. Methuselah gets caught by one of it's many predators because it never learned how to defend it's self, ironically on the same day that the Congo began it's Independence. Within a few months the Congo is also "caught" and "killed" by the United States because it was never properly taught how to save it's self.
The Demonstration Garden
The Demonstration Garden that Nathan planted represents the Garden of Eden. The Demonstration Garden, much like the Garden of Eden is supposed to represent a new beginning, or new life. Ironically, the Demonstration Garden got destroyed a few days after it was planted, and had to be re-built. This symbolizes the Congo having to be "built" not once, but twice. The Garden of Eden is also where Adam and Eve ate the poisonous apple that embedded all future generations with the original sin. This symbol is somewhat ironic because Adam and Eve's sin was taking in knowledge that was not intended for them, while Nathan's sin is his own ignorance by refusing to learn anything about the culture around him.
