Holly's Name Change Symbol
Holly changes her name after her rape, when she leaves Oxford and goes home. She starts to go by her middle name, Kate, and chooses "Woodcroft" as her last name, which is also symbolic of the reason her life, and her name, have been changed. Woodcroft is also James' last name, and by assuming this moniker Kate carries with her a symbol of what has been done to her and what has been lost. It is also symbolic of the fact the rape has now shaped her life so that she is forever tied to the events of that night no matter what else she does in her life.
Misguided Loyalty Motif
Many of the characters in the book are horribly misguided in their loyalty to another. One example of this is Sophie, who fights the knowledge that her husband is at best, a liar, and at worst, a serial rapist, out of loyalty both to him and to the union they have created.
Ali is also misguided in her loyalty to James; she has known him since they were at university together and she is also loyal to the Woodcrofts' marriage and the idea of it that they have created, which is an idealized one that is not actually true, but looks great for the media.
Tom and James are also loyal to each other, a loyalty that is misguided because it serves only to keep a secret. Both men covered up the death of a drunk student whom Tom had given drugs to, so their loyalty is not necessarily stemming from a belief in the other's character, but a fear of anyone finding out about what they were involved in.
Victim Shaming Motif
James is found not guilty on the charge of rape, despite Olivia's brave evidence, and the fact that he is not able of offer any kind of proof that the rape did not happen. While James should be shamed for what he has done, it is actually Olivia who is shamed, as it is implied that she only cries rape once James ends their affair, suggesting that because she is angry and hurt, rape is not a possibility.
Ali also buys into this theory, telling Kate that she finds it hard to believe in Olivia as a victim, because she was happy to have sex with James while they were involved.
Both situations demonstrate the motif of victim shaming when it comes to rape cases like Olivia's and the difficulty women have in being believed.
The Libertines Symbol
The Libertines drinking club was a hard-partying, male only group of students at Oxford, a club that both James and Tom were members of while studying there. It is a symbol of their tendency to behave without any kind of self-control and also of their perception that whatever they want to do, they can do, without suffering any consequences at all.
Oxford University Motif
Oxford University is a perpetual motif throughout the novel. It is also where the stories of all the main character begins and ends. Ali and Kate were friends, Sophie was Kate's study partner, and both Tom and James were students there at the same time. Sophie and James met at Oxford, Kate was raped there by James. Oxford is also where James began his career as a rapist.
Oxford is also the keeper of secrets; it keeps Kate's secret about her rape and her new identity and it keeps Tom and James' secret about the death of a student after a night of drugs and partying
At the end of the novel, Kate finds redirection in Oxford, dating and subsequently settling down with another fellow alumnus that Ali meets during the student reunion.
