Mardi Gras
The novel takes place during Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans which even back in the early 1960’s was a very big deal. Mardi Gras in New Orleans is like nothing else that takes place in America; a nearly 24/7 party that literally lets nothing get in the way of having a good time. The disconnect between the celebratory atmosphere and anything serious going on—whether in the world or next door in your neighbor’s house—can serve to have the effect of creating tiny little moments of insight for those who experience it. This is true, of course, even when the partying is on a much small scale. Mardi Gras just has the effect of amplifying the effect. The carnival atmosphere in New Orleans is not so much intended to be taken literal as it is a symbol; when the setting moves out of the city to the small town of Mt. Salus to await the death Judge McKelva, the same bizarre confluence of the comic and the tragic remains a presence punctuating the utter absurdity of existence.
The Judge's Torn Retina
The main character of the novel is Laurel, the titular daughter. But the title does not belong to her alone. She is identified through a character trait of her father, thus making the title really more informational on his part than hers. Optimism is a way of choosing to see the world around you; it is a question of vision. So it should come as no surprise that the medical condition kicking off the narrative is related to the eye and sight. Just as the title does not belong to either father or daughter alone, however, neither should the symbol of vision impairment be limited solely to the Judge.
The Coffin Lid
Laurel requires the assistance of the undertaker and Tish to get the lid of the judge’s coffin to close. The heavy weight of the lid is therefore symbolic of the weightiness upon her to finally accept that he is gone and she is going to face the rest of her life without his presence in her life.
The Bird in the House
The incident of the bird getting trapped inside the house and struggling mightily but in vain to escape is a perfect symbol of chaos barely contained before erupting almost into madness. The bird and the manic struggle to get find a way back to freedom without knowing quite how to chart that course and navigate the geography is representative of the repressed anger seething inside Laurel that she feels she is finally ready to allow to bubble to the surface. Laurel is beginning to feel in control of the floodgates and the release may thus be better contained and controlled.
The Confluence of the Rivers
The confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers at Cairo, Illinois is a one of the essential symbols of the novel. Laurel’s dream of a train ride with her husband who died long before draws this figurative image more starkly into the literal world as she reflects that the confluence symbolizes life which she has determined is simply the continuation of love that one expresses for and receives from others. Love transcends time, space and even the void of death, moving toward convergence as it remains felt.
