Recollection as the boon of life
The book is built on the idea that for Connie, the memory she has of all the beautiful lives she has witnessed in her family is the boon of her life. In other words, the reward for her well-lived life is that she can look back fondly on all the people she loves. She remembers her brother Will, and his difficult life. She remembers her children, and the way that community has evolved over time. This is a bittersweet reward, however, because life was certainly not necessarily easy for any of them.
Will as a witness
Will's opinion is symbolic, because he knows that his society is broken in fundamental ways. The community tried to educate him about sexuality and gender role, but since his relationship to his self is more primary than his relationship to others, his homosexuality is more trustworthy than their closed-minded points of view. When he leaves his community behind, Connie works to forgive his abandonment, understanding that she is embedded in the point of view he must leave behind. He symbolizes the need for acceptance in a healthy community.
Reever as a symbol
Reever is also a symbolic character in the book, because Reever's life is defined by freedom. Whereas Will must depart the community to be free, Reever fights against it. He rails against the system as a hippy, and he accepts the pain of martyrdom to make a difference. His tendency toward martyrdom is also complex, because Connie knows that sometimes, he picked intentionally painful fates instead of reasonableness.
Prostitution
In this novel, prostitution is a symbol for the misogyny that defines aspects of Australian culture at the time. It is literally a picture of men using women for pleasure. Nadine sees the truth about men by encountering many of them through her prostitution. Just like the other symbolic characters, Nadine's life is complex, because she does the best she can, but she obviously breaks the rules to make a way for herself. People look down on her, but this too is symbolic. They don't see the injustice of her situation.
Harry's murder
Ultimately, the most significant symbol in the narrative is Harry's death which is the ultimate picture of what Connie must face. Beyond the tragedy of life, she must accept the basic premise of life, that her loved ones will not just suffer—they will die. In Harry's case, the violent death has religious overtones, because he is a victim of circumstance. The question of life and death informs Connie's contemplations on family.
