The Lawyer Symbol Analysis

The lawyer in the Tanners’ family serves as a twofold symbol of the family’s quest for upward mobility and of their guiding motto to “throw nothing away,” or to look for value in overlooked and neglected places. “At Hiruharama” shows why that phrase became important for the Tanners by telling the story of how Tanner almost accidentally threw away his daughter, thinking she was afterbirth. After the doctor saves her, the Tanners hang a tinplate in their kitchen with the phrase “Throw Nothing Away,” reminding themselves to look for value in overlooked places and to approach each day with clarity and care. But the value of the almost-discarded daughter doesn’t end with her discovery; in the eyes of Mr. Tanner, her value is compounded by what she does later in life. In contrast to her twin sister, who “never got to be anything in particular,” this almost-discarded daughter ultimately becomes a lawyer, fulfilling the promise of upward mobility that the Tanners sought when they first came to New Zealand.