Airport

Mary's time at the airport frantically searching for her air is symbolic of her experience of feeling lost in her own life. She describes feeling very unhappy, but unable to understand why she had such depression. She cites that snapshots from her life would "add up to a picture of perfection," but that she still could not shake this feeling of sadness (11). For her, the feeling of being lost at the airport -- tired, depressed and feeling a little crazy -- is emblematic of the sense of loss and depression that Mary struggles with throughout the memoir.

The Perfect Murder Weapon

As Mary describes outsmarting the killers on television by meticulously researching what the perfect murder weapon would be, she creates around this a symbol for her own perfectionism. Throughout the memoir, Mary is constantly struggling with her self-described type A personality. Her addiction to "getting...