In the novel excerpt *The Beet Queen*, Louise Erdrich uses certain imagery and symbolism to show the extremity of the environment and how differently it would affect Mary and Karl. Erdrich reflects on how hard conditions shape their survival instincts differently by contrasting Mary's resilience with Karl's fragility, thus underlining the struggle in the desolate world between vulnerability and adaptation.

From the opening lines, Erdrich makes a point of the severity of the environment in which Mary and Karl arrive by train. Descriptions such as their "violet lips" and "numb feet" point to how the environment exacts its toll on their bodies, further highlighting how the cold, sparse landscape immediately puts them in a state of discomfort.