What are The Barrettes

The butterfly barrettes represent Agnès’ attempt to bridge the gap between herself and Fabienne. During one of Agnès’ initial trips to Paris, her publisher buys her a set of butterfly-shaped barrettes. Agnès immediately resolves to give one of these barrettes to Fabienne. In this way, the barrettes reveal Agnès’ desperation to connect with Fabienne, even as their lives diverge in gradually more evident ways. As Agnès’ fame grows, Fabienne comes to accept that they will never be able to share their lives with one another. Agnès, for much of the novel, rejects this reality and instead pines for herself and Fabienne to coalesce into a single self. The butterfly barrettes serve as a tangible symbol of Agnès’ acute yearning.