How does the author use symbolism in the novel, Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay?

This novel begins and ends with the death of an elderly person; they are a symbol for a meaningful life. After reading 400 pages of lives lived in the neighborhood, the reader must ask if the characters did something worthwhile.

Most people wonder if their lives will have meaning; when an older person passes away the question is more prevalent for a passing moment. This narrative begins with Elena and Lila, way in the future (around 60) witnessing the death of Gigliola Solara. They had passed her in the park: Elena describes her as old, heavy, pasty, devoid of joy or feeling. On their way back past the park she is a heap on the sidewalk. Likewise, the story ends with the murder of Signora Solara, the loan shark and terror of the neighborhood.

Elena is mortified with the passing of life, while Lila is fascinated with the thought being able to dispense with her own life and cease existing.