Narrator's Novel

The narrator's novel is a symbol of the writing process. Throughout The End of the Story, the narrator labors over her novelistic project, desperate to translate her experiences during and after her affair with the lover onto the page. The narrator's struggles to write the novel correspond with the author's commentary on the writer's life.

The Photo

The only photo the narrator has of the lover symbolizes attachment. The narrator retains the photo because it is the only pictographic evidence she has of the affair. The way she studies the photograph, searching it for meaning, illustrates her inability to let go of the lover, and her desperation to infect him, and her affair with him with lasting significance.

French Poem

The French poem the lover sends to the narrator years after their affair ends, symbolizes confusion. Though the lover does not include a letter with...