Blue Serge Suit
Bateman Hunter is disturbed uncomfortable and wildly out of place wearing his blue serge suit to the informal island feast climaxing with the placement of a wreath of flowers on his head. Edward will confess to having seen himself in his friend’s discomfort as he recalls arriving to the island dressed in nearly identical fashion which has since been replaced by a much shabbier suit of white ducks. The blue serge suit Bateman thinks to himself identifies him as a gentleman is a symbol for just that: not of actually being a gentleman, but of thinking that it is the suit that makes that possible.
The Flower Wreath
Bateman displays a wildly inappropriate rage-fueled extremity of reaction to the placement of that flower wreath upon his head, viewing it as an insult and purposeful attempt to make him appear foolish. He does appear foolish, but it is not due to the wreath—which is seamlessly integrated into the surroundings—but on account of still being dressed in that suit, which does not. The flowers thus symbolize the philosophical foundation of island life and how some are much better—suited—for it than others.
Antiques
The story comes to a conclusion by penetrating into the thoughts of Isabel as she dreams of all those things that she has to look forward to in a life that will now be spent with Bateman as her husband. At the center of this vision of happily ever after is an exquisite house full of antique furniture. The ending is a callback to an earlier episode in the story situating Isabel in the dining room within built as a replicate of a Venetian palace on the Grand Canal and decorated in the style of Louis XV by a British expert. This amalgamation of Italian, French, and British tradition within an American home all serve to symbolize the aristocratic element of American capitalism which Edward comes to view as a prison he barely managed to escape from.
Horn Spectacles
The final imagery of the story reaches into the mind of not just Isabel, but Bateman as well, and therein one finds a particularly curious commonality. Both have their own particular visions of great wealth in the near future, of course, but both also share the odd fantasy that in this future Bateman will be wearing horn-rimmed spectacles. By the second decade of the 20th century, horn-rimmed spectacles had become something of a rage among younger men as they had come to be associated with the idea of being serious, dedicated, and successful.
Chicago
Chicago is chosen by the author as the home base of his characters for what appears to be a rather vicious little bit of ironic symbolism. Just to make sure the ironic point isn’t lost upon readers, the word “Chicago” appears more than twenty times in the text, and far more often seems necessary. It is not just mentioned, but referenced in lofty language hyperbolically describing it as not just “the biggest city in the world” but “the greatest city in the world.” Of course, one of the seemingly infinite nicknames attributed to Chicago remains firmly in place, “the Second City.” As it was then, so shall it ever be. Chicago symbolizes the misplaced view of its own exceptionalism endemic to every American, regardless of where they live.
