Heart Disease

Heart disease symbolizes the family's current struggle with loss. Among members of the family, they have experienced 41 heart attacks. The speaker's father has suffered 22 heart attacks altogether and the speaker's younger brother has had extended hospital stays following his own heart problems. Heart disease is one of the topics about which the family never speaks directly, as the prospect of losing a family member is too difficult for them to fathom.

The Holocaust

The Holocaust symbolizes the family's generational pain and suffering. The speaker implies that his grandmother is a survivor of the Holocaust and that she lost all of her siblings during the war. The Holocaust, like heart disease, is a reminder of the loss that haunts the speaker's family and that continues to affect the way they communicate with one another.

Weeds

Weeds symbolize heart problems. The speaker's father admits that he has...