Mother's House

The narrator's mother's house is symbolic of loss. After the narrator's mother dies, the narrator holes up in the house. She does so as a way to avoid the sorrow she feels. She does not know how to categorize or confront her grief over losing her mother, and therefore attempts to lodge herself in her mother's domain and memory.

Doctor K's House

Doctor K's house is a symbol of the past. Throughout the novel, the narrator's mind often reverts to memories from her time in the house. In this way, the author is formally enacting the narrator's complex yet close relationship with her past life.

Books

For the narrator, books are symbolic of escape. Throughout her life, the narrator has relied upon books to grant her a reprieve from reality. During her childhood, she devotes all of her time to reading as she is often...