This One Summer Symbols, Allegory and Motifs

by Mariko Tamaki

This One Summer Symbols, Allegory and Motifs

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Symbol: Pebbles

The pebbles on the beach come to represent Rose's past, her family's past, and her past self as well.

Symbol: The Beach

The Beach symbolizes Rose's rebirth as an older, new person and her new life.

Motif: Dissapointing Adult Role Model

A common motif in the novel is disappointing adult role models - particularly adults that have disappointed Rose and Windy.

Motif: Awakenings

Another frequent motif in the novel is the sexual and spiritual awakenings of most of the teenaged characters in the novel.

Allegory: Otherness

Windy's story in This One Summer is an allegory for the feeling of being "other than" that many LGBT people feel.

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