German music (allegory)
The evening Chris had to return was very stressful in the house – Kitty was nervous and upset, so Jenny decided to play piano, but even this did not arose Kitty’s spirit as it was Beethoven and Kitty said: "to play Beethoven when it's the war that's caused all this. I could have told that you would have chosen to play German music this night of all nights." Surely Beethoven had nothing to do with the war, but in the hearts of many women anything relating Germany was hateful for them, so the music allegorically represents hatred.
Nursery (symbol)
Chris and Kitty had a son Oliver who dies five years ago, but his nursery was still kept in perfect order. They kept it to remember, so the room becomes a symbol of memory. Margaret uses Oliver and his things to remind Chris of his son, and it provokes his memory and he reminds everythin, so again the room is the symbol of memory.
Choice (motif)
For every character of the novel the situation is really difficult, and it is not clear what to do to return Chris his memory. When Margaret found out that he had a son she offered to remind him of this fact and the doctor agreed that it might work. And now before Margaret was the most difficult choice in her life – to leave Chris in his youth happy and joy or to return him to reality where he was a thirty-six years old soldier with memories of his lost son and of the dreadfulness of the war. She chooses truth – no matter what it is but the truth is always the truth.
