Ted's Day Job

Ted's day job, throwing peanuts, represents Ted's failure and the monotony of his life up until the events of the novel. Ted becomes frustrated as he has a degree from a prestigious institution, but simply throws legumes at Yankee Stadium. However, it also symbolizes one of the reasons for his writing motivations, as his unhappiness causes him to write.

The Grateful Dead

The band The Grateful Dead represents a universal constant for Ted. The band's lyrics are something that Ted understands. The band also seems to lead him in the proper direction, as Mariana's drunkenly acquired Grateful Dead tattoo seems to somewhat bring them together.

Baseball

Within the novel, the game of baseball seems to mirror life and sometimes push it along. Throughout the novel, Marty's life seems to proceed and change through the performance of the Red Socks. Baseball also seems to push...