Duality
The narrative paints a detailed picture of Caroline's journey from the house to the apple orchard. It depicts the dreamlike quality of the landscape: "rich enough for eating…the air thick with its grass-and-heather, baked-dirt smell" and "a small riot like the voice of the soil itself." These descriptions exude abundance and vitality that starkly contrast Caroline's inner turmoil. It also emphasizes Caroline's relationship with her father, who is associated with warmth and love through his affectionate nickname for her dark hair and his habit of kissing her head. By contrast, she punishes herself by driving her legs forward as she strides across the grass, which shows her difficulty confronting her emotions. The two birds are described as having two contrasting colors – one brilliant and one tamer – denoting their beauty and their mysteriousness. Finally, their choice to occupy the only tree not planted by the founders suggests independence from human intervention which reinforces the duality between nature’s vitality and Caroline’s struggle against herself.
Hayloft
The hayloft which remains in the barn has been converted into a classroom. This image of the hayloft illustrates its former life and use while hinting at potential danger and mischief. It indicates that Samuel may have attempted to create a controlled space for students to explore or learn. Therefore, it acts as an analogy for Caroline's own experience in this new school. She is surrounded by unfamiliar elements—her father, David, and Eliza Pearson—who are all attempting to shape her educational experience in their ways. Yet she knows deep down that she can always retreat into her little corner away from them if need be. The vivid description of the hayloft also speaks to themes of memory and nostalgia. The smell of sawdust brings Caroline back to childhood memories of running around with her siblings in other barns full of animals and old tools when things were simpler and more innocent. Despite how much everything changes over time, certain aspects remain constant.
Visible Illness
The mottling on Eliza’s arm is described as “a dappling of thumbprints, as if someone had seized her over and over.” It indicates both the physical pain she has endured from her illness and the emotional pain that comes with being judged by others for having an “invisible” illness. She tries to hide it by keeping herself covered up with a sheet throughout much of the scene. When Sophia moves the sheet aside during one particularly violent episode, all those present are exposed to Eliza's truth. At this moment we see how difficult it can be for people suffering from mental illnesses to open up about their struggles. Even when they know they need help and support, they may feel too ashamed or embarrassed to speak out. Although some forms of mental illnesses cannot be seen externally, there are still many who experience very real physical manifestations which can be just as disabling and debilitating.
Insatiable Birds
The imagery of a beast with “so many mouths” represents the infinite hunger of the birds that have created a nest from bits and pieces stolen from the girls. It gives form to something intangible—the idea of an insatiable appetite—for how the birds have taken from all of them without restraint. The edges of the nest are "riotous with hay" and "twigs," inferring that it was made up of disorganized materials scavenged from wherever they could find them. This reinforces that there was no clear design, instead, they just took whatever they needed until they formed this monstrous shape. Though they appear harmless on the surface, they are capable of great destruction when given free rein. The nest is almost like a physical manifestation of their greediness—an outward symbolization of how deeply rooted their need for more truly is.
