Suitcase

Yevgenia's blue suitcase is symbolic of disappointment. Lara hates the suitcase, because whenever she sees it she knows that she and Yevgenia will be relocating again. The suitcase also contains Yevgenia's notebooks. Both the object and its contents are thus representative of the ways in which Yevgenia consistently disappoints her daughter.

Notebooks

Yevgenia's notebooks are symbolic of wisdom. At the novel's start, Lara insists that she hates the notebooks. Yevgenia relies upon them to parent and guide her daughter. Although Lara resists her mother's advice, excerpts from the notebooks punctuate the novel. In this way, the author enacts their unspoken importance to Lara, and the ways in which she subconsciously relies upon their edicts for guidance.

Lara's Trailer

Lara's Oasis trailer is symbolic of entrapment. The squalid space augments Lara's longing for freedom and autonomy. Although she is prepared to leave this temporary home at any...