The Moon

A symbol of fierce power and mythically charged, the Moon literally and metaphorically looms over Seveneves. Whether the reader is aware of lunar associations with the subconscious, female divine, the occult, and lunacy, doesn't matter. These are, as noted by the great psychologist Carl Jung, indelible aspects of the human collective unconscious.

In Neal Stephenson's Seveneves, whether intentionally or not, the Moon symbolizes both the dark feminine and the occult (in its original definition as hidden, or concealed). Out-of-control Earth technology is at once fragmenting, commodifying, and—through war and terrorism—killing humanity. When the unknown Agent strikes the Moon, humankind's secrets and historical patriarchy are shattered. The dark (in this sense, suppressed and hidden) feminine is released in the form of those women who will become the Seven Eves.

Fire

Another symbol with mythical resonance, fire is employed brilliantly by the author. Super-heated bolides...