A major motif associated with Pilate would be singing, and in the novel, singing is a way that people tell stories of their past.Pilate uses singing to have a connection with her mother, Sing, who died before Pilate was born. Pilate never had any physical connection with her mother in the womb, as she “had come struggling out of the womb without help from throbbing muscles...As a result, her stomach was as smooth and sturdy as her back, at no place interrupted by a navel...she had not come into this world through normal channels...” (pg 27-28) so she uses singing as a way to connect with her mother in the way she couldn’t before she was born.
For example, the novel opens up with Mr. Smith attempting to fly, and as people gathered in the town