Looking for a way out
Cullen makes it clear that he finds the city where he lived in as being extremely boring and without anything out of the ordinary happening there. In contrast with him, his younger brother found ways to entertain himself by reading books and listening to music. His methods of avoiding boredom are frequently mentioned in the novel and they constitute one of the recurrent motifs found in the novel.
The pigeon
An important symbol that appears in the novel is the pigeon Benton sees standing on the shoulder of the little boy he dreams one night. The pigeon is important because it is an important element in the Bible. The pigeon is mentioned numerous times in various verses and most notably it appears during the scene when Jesus is baptized. Then, the heavens open and a pigeon fly down over him. Thus, the pigeon is used here as a symbol for the Christian religion and to suggest the idea of heavenly blessing.
Imagining zombies
Another motif in the novel is the fact that every time things get boring or are too hard to handle, Cullen imagines zombies in different positions and doing various things. This type of coping mechanism is mentioned numerous times in the novel and appears almost every time Cullen is mentioned.
Being kicked out
Another common motif in the novel is the fact that Cullen gets kicked out by the women he sleeps with. This happened two times in the novel, the first one being when he slept with Alma and the second time when he sleeps with Ada. This quickly becomes a common motif in the novel and it becomes clear that Cullen’s efforts at being seen as a man are in vain because he always ends up making a fool of himself.
Wanting to please
Another common motif is the idea that Benton wanted to please his family and his superiors. From an early age, Benton wanted to get his father’s approval and when it became clear that getting it will be harder than he thought, he became depressed and moody. When he was sure that his father thought that he was a failure, Benton was unable to take it anymore and chose to end his life rather than have to face his father’s disappointment. This shows just how important it was for Benton to be accepted and to be seen.
