Letters
Letters are a symbol of regret. The letters in the novel each hold regret for not being able to be with the person that they love. Mary Anne writes a letter to her husband telling him that she is leaving because she cannot live in a marriage without intimacy. Lawrence’s letter to his daughter tells her why he could not be in her life though he would have loved to know his daughter. Rose’s letter shows her regret for abandoning David when he was a child. These letters affect the recipients in different ways. Mary Anne’s letter to David makes upset and he is driven into a depression. Lawrence’s letter allows Sophia to see how much her father cared for her and why his identity was kept from her. It leaves her with a feeling of closure. Rose’s letter makes David go in search of a mother he has not seen since he was six years old. Learning of her life and her supposed death helps him to find a certain closure, which makes him resolved to fix his marriage to Mary Anne.
Angel Statue
The Angel statue is a symbol of hope. It stands in the graveyard over the grave of David and Mary Anne Parkin’s three-year-old daughter. It is seen by any who enter the graveyard and spreads hope to those who see it. It makes them see that love is felt even in the lose of death. The Angel gives hope to those who have lost loved ones and must find a way to live their life with the grief that they feel.
Trains
Trains are a symbol of abandonment. David can tell that something is not right when he takes Mary Anne to the train station. His feelings came to fruition when he reads Mary Anne’s letter explaining that she is not returning from England. David’s mother took a train when she left David when he was only six years old. The departures make David delve into why the women in his life keep leaving him. He feels that the abandonment he felt at his mother’s departure has affected all his relationships and goes in search of her to find out why he was abandoned.
Amusement park
The amusement park is a symbol of youth. Dierdre takes David to a closed amusement park for a picnic. This shows her youth and naivety. It makes the age difference between Dierdre and David apparent. She goes to the amusement park a lot on dates and allows the men to win her gifts. A man of David’s age seems out of place in such a surrounding. His choice of a date would not include an amusement park or vying for a woman’s affection with cheap toys.
Theatre
The theatre is a symbol of fame. Rosalyn King leaves her family because she feels that fame will fill the void in her life. She craves for people to adore her. When she does not get this, she pens a letter saying that she is going to take her life. She gave up her family to seek the adoration of others and regrets doing so but cannot return to her family as a failure. Fame drove her to abandon her life and it left her alone and desolate.
