Maps

Maps symbolize the routes that Vivian explores in her quest to find the world she believes she belongs to.

At the end of almost every chapter Vivian draws an outline of the route she travels that day, and describes what it looks like on paper. The routes always seem very uneven and convoluted, and indeed Vivian describes them in some rather outlandish ways. However this also indicates the willingness with which she ventures off the prescribed path taken by the majority of society, and that she even seems to take pride in having a daily routine that resembles that of others so little.

Street signs

Street signs symbolize a new chance for Vivian to access another world, and the difficulties she faces in doing so.

Vivian begins her quest to access another world by going to Thundercut Alley under the impression that “If a thunderclap or...