Significance of Showering

Showering represents the washing away of guilt and shame associated with being a morally dirty person. Will showers immediately after he is confronted by Emma for his crime of raping her twenty-eight years earlier. Despite his attempt to appear in control of the situation and not worried about what may happen when Emma tells the police, Will is subconsciously dealing with the guilt. The author makes a powerful statement by having Will take a shower, the very thing many rape victims do immediately after being attacked. The shame overwhelms the victims. They feel "dirty" and feel the intense need to wash away the crime and, hopefully, the shame. Unfortunately, the shame is internal and cannot be taken away so easily. Similarly, as Will discovers, the guilt catches up with him.