Bicycle Motif
Several chapters of the book focus on Adam's long bicycle journey. The bicycle allows Adam to move under his own power, not relying on anybody and not restrained or imprisoned in any way. He is physically free, and he is moving toward his goal. His chief fear is that his bicycle will be taken from him, and that is exactly what happens.
The bicycle journey Adam takes through the countryside parallels an internal journey through his memories and beliefs, which is guided by what appears to be a psychotherapist or counselor who questions him regularly about his past. Many parts of the book come from Brint's notes or recorded interviews.
Reappearance Motif
Many of the people Adam meets on his bicycle journey reappear in different roles when he is in the hospital. Luke appears as a diner worker who is always on the phone during Adam's bicycle journey, but in the hospital he is a switchboard operator who sometimes works in the hospital cafeteria. Likewise Arthur Hayes, who refers to Adam as "Honey" and is closely watched when he appears as a resident of one of the towns Adam passes through, reappears as an inmate of the psychiatric hospital. The only character from the bike ride who reappears in the hospital as himself is Dr. Dupont.
Dr. Dupont as Symbol of Reality
The only character besides Adam who appears during both the bicycle ride and the hospital scenes is the kindly Dr. Dupont, who really is a psychiatrist and who is genuinely trying to help Adam bridge the gap between his memory and his awareness of the present. He represents objective reality. He has white hair and a black mustache, in contrast with the ambiguous Mr. Grey.
Map as Symbol of Empowerment
Mr. Harvester, another inmate at the mental institution, has veins on his arms similar to that of a map. He alone appears to be clear about the threats that face Adam: he warns him not to trust anyone, and he talks about lack of privacy and about identity crime in 1977, long before electronic identity crime became common. Furthermore, his name, Harvester, is similar to Farmer. This suggests that the older, more experienced man might have been in a situation similar to Adam's, and might be able to offer advice or direction. During Adam's long, delusional bicycle ride around the grounds of the mental institution, he meets Mr. Harvester at a gas station, where Mr. Harvester gives him a map. One of Adam's deepest hopes is that someone, somewhere will help him understand what's happening. Yet his confusion, paranoia, and anxiety are so intense that they keep Adam from understanding what is real and what isn't.
Cheese Symbol
At the end of the novel, Adam identifies with the cheese left standing alone at the end of "The Farmer In the Dell". Not only is he standing alone, but cheese is routinely used to bait traps to catch mice or rats. One possible reading of the cheese symbol suggests that Adam was, or is, being used as bait to trap and kill his parents.
Adam, who does indeed stand alone, is very much out of place. As a youth of fifteen, he is being treated in what appears to be an adult mental health facility. This suggests that he is physically older than his awareness and self-perception suggests he should be. The notion is suggested earlier in the book when Adam finds two different copies of his birth certificate, with different dates of birth, and discovers that he was not really born on Valentine's Day.
Many kinds of cheese improve with age. As Adam gets older, he remembers more of his past and becomes better able to understand his situation. Unless someone acts on Brint's authorization to kill him, he may one day succeed in escaping.
