Car Accident

The car accident symbolizes disruption. Throughout the third person sections of the novel, the city in which the characters live is defined by constant noise and activity. The day that the boy on the tricycle is hit by the car disrupts the city's usual cadence. The accident not only induces a rare moment of stillness and pause, but stays with each of the onlookers, acting as a source of disruption in each of their psyches.

Figurine

Michael's brother's clay figure symbolizes trauma. When the brother first acquires the figurine, it is a source of curiosity and inspiration. However, after the accident, the figurine is broken. When Michael leaves the figure with the narrator, it reminds her of the summer she lived in the city, and the events and mood surrounding this time. The figure physically connects her to the tragedy she witnessed that summer and...