Symbolic characters
Rachel thinks that "it was far better to play the piano and forget all the rest... Let these odd men and women - he aunts, the Hunts, Ridley, Helen, Mr. Pepper, and the rest - be symbols - featureless but dignified, symbols of age, of youth, of motherhood, of learning, and beautiful often as people upon the stage are beautiful." As the abundance of people and their opinions are overwhelming Rachel, she decides to see them as "symbols", and almost like actors on a stage. This is significant, as it shows she is distancing them from her own life, and abstracting them into symbols so they don't have a profound effect on her well-being.
Playing the piano
For Rachel, playing the piano provides her with a sense of escapism. She feels overwhelmed with the constant opinions, judgments, and idiosyncrasies of other people, and concludes that "it was far better to play the piano and forget all the rest." As such, she uses the piano to distract herself, and also to provide herself the comfort that she is expressing herself truly, unlike the people around her.
Rachel's independence
Rachel's independence is a key motif of the text and is first introduced when Helen offers to teach Rachel how to be an independent woman. Rachel's father is thrilled with this proposal and encourages Helen to take Rachel on the trip. Throughout the text, Rachel is challenged by critical discussions, difficult ventures and the other characters, and through this we see her develop into a more intelligent person. In one scene, Rachel confronts Helen, and criticizes her for being too reliant upon her intellect. Helen enjoys this backlash, as it represents Rachel's new-found independence.
Marriage
As Rachael's journey to independence progresses throughout the novel, we see her become more intuitive and intelligent. This is partly due to the support of Hewet, who encourages her to think positively about herself and to embrace her emotional side. However, after they are engaged things seem to change. Hewet begins to become more controlling, telling Rachel what she should read and when to play the piano. As playing the piano is so symbolic and personal for Rachel, this assertion of control represents an attack against her entire personality and independence. As such, marriage in this text is shown to be a symbol of oppression and dependence.
