Significance of Grainier's Wagon

Grainier's wagon symbolizes the end of one career leading to a kind of growth into a new one, another manifestation of the novella's thematic interest in death and rebirth. When Grainier is asked to transport the body of a dead relative of an employer, he discovers a new line of work: becoming responsible for the movement of goods, items, or anything else that needed moving. This discovery comes in particularly useful in the aftermath of his leaving behind his career as a construction worker, or lumberman.