Bill and Tony as symbols
Bill and Tony are the witnesses of Mickey's life and they knew her intimately. They have important insight, and together they work as a symbolic pair, symbolizing what can be discovered through inquiry. Tony's help explains what Jill needs to know, but Bill's help is taken away from Jill by Bill's sudden, horrifying death in a car bomb explosion. Together, they represent Jill's quest for truth, which happens in the shadow of death.
The evil poems
There are "evil" poems that Jill learns about, prompting her to become more curious about what Diana might know about Mickey. For instance, if Mickey wrote disturbing, violent poetry, then Diana might know that, because Diana is her teacher. The symbol is a reminder that people do have dark sides. The poetry aspect shows that the human experience of their own darkness can be a mysterious, darkly erotic part of life.
The car bomb
The explosion is a dual symbol because Jill sees it from two points of view. Firstly, she understands from the blast that something nefarious is still happening. Although Mickey's death is enough to prompt Jill's investigation, Bill's death is also a new case that needs to be solved in order to solve Mickey's death. The bomb also symbolizes Diana's guilt, because although she claims Mickey died in a sex accident, the bomb is obvious proof that Diana is a murderer.
The poetry bar
The portrait of community in this story is the poetry bar where people can meet each other and share their personal, private thoughts, through art typically. The poetry is a reminder that each person in the bar has their own intimate point of view. The community is Jill's main source of intelligence, and, after all, Mickey was last seen by them at that community.
Mickey as a symbol
In a way, Mickey symbolizes something about Jill's own life. There is an innocence lost in Jill's mind when she discovers that Mickey has a dark side all her own. Then, when Diana is found to be in multiple affairs, including Mickey, that is another reminder of Jill and Mickey's similarity. Jill plays Mickey's role to learn about her friends and lovers, so Mickey represents Jill's own participation in community.
