One example of how water symbolizes communication in Randa Haines' film adaptation of Children of a Lesser God (it was originally a play by Mark Medoff) connects to the pool in the school. You might say that the pool symbolizes Sarah's mode of communication. The waters' fluid and abstract nature reflects the way in which Sarah prefers to communicate. Remember, she thinks that speaking in normative words is discriminatory and oppressive. The pool could symbolize a safe haven or green zone from the supremacy of typical human speech.

The pool might also symbolize the eventual dominance of Sarah's marginalized form of communication. As long as James remains separate from the water, he's unable to communicate with her. While he tries to tell her lots of things—including the fact that he loves her—none of this appears to have an impact on Sarah. Remember, when James is pouring out his heart to Sarah, he's squatting over her outside of the pool.

However, once James heaves himself into the pool, it seems like he can form the kind of connection and bond that he wants. In the pool—in Sarah's world—Sarah seems willing to give him the time of day. They embrace and connect, but they do so on Sarah's terms and through her structure of communication.