Books (symbol)
Books are symbol of the old world. They used to be valuable many years ago but they are worthless now and so are many other things. Lenny’s boss tells him that he has to get rid of them, for it is not time for “thinking” but “selling.” When Lenny’s says that he “can’t do that”, throw his books away, it means that he can’t fully adjust to this new world where only good looks, youth and money matter.
A credit card (allegory)
A credit card is allegory of success. The characters of the story talk about the amount of money on their “credit cards” all they time, for in the world where only money matter, it is the easiest way to find out whether a person is worth of your time or not. If you “have money in the bank”, it is alright, but if you don’t, you would better to not hope for anything good.
Readjust to a life (Motif)
Lenny tries to readjust “to life in these United States’’ and get “the most bang” for his luck. This new life is too difficult for him to comprehend, so the man even creates a “strategy for short-term survival and then immortality following return to New York.” It is not only Lenny who has troubles with building a happy life but many other characters too. For instance, they are all afraid of getting old and look for “signs of decay” frantically.
