Precise Time

"Precise Time," a term for the scientifically measured and reported time in Washington D.C. where the author worked as Vice President, is referred to in the book's first few paragraphs, where it simultaneously represents and foreshadows the deep awareness of time that lies beneath and within the Biden family's concern about Beau's health. Time is also a factor in the author's ongoing considerations about whether to run for President.

Nantucket

This island off the coast of Massachusetts is the setting for the Biden family's annual Thanksgiving gathering and, as such, represents tradition, security, and stability. Later in the narrative, the author describes how certain important landmarks for the family and their traditions change, a situation that represents and evokes how his family's situation changes.

Glioblastoma

This particularly aggressive form of cancer is the disease affecting Beau Biden and, as such, represents the forces of destruction...