importance of eggs

Ordinary (chicken) eggs designated for human consumption are symbolic of the eggs used in the human reproductive process. This is most evident when Natsuko observes, during Makiko and Midoriko’s visit, that she has stocked up on eggs to the point of not being able to use all of them without realizing it. Later in the novel, when it becomes clear that Natsuko wants to have a child, the parallel between this subconscious hoarding of eggs and her own anxiety about whether her body will continue to produce eggs also becomes clear.