Eleanor’s Glasses
Eleanor’s glasses symbolize Violet’s grief for her sister. After Eleanor died in a car accident about nine months before the novel begins, Violet began wearing Eleanor’s glasses in the hope that they’d help…
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Water (the Blue Hole, Swimming Pools, Rivers)
Water (which shows up in a number of forms in the novel) symbolizes the interconnectedness between life and death. Finch admits at one point that he has “a thing for water.” His affinity for water…
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The Cardinal
The cardinal symbolizes Finch’s mental illness and his dysfunctional family dynamic. When Finch was a little boy, a male cardinal repeatedly flew into the living room windows and fell to the patio before flying…
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