Blue

To Kevin, blue symbolizes the difficulty of openly analyzing his emotions, his response to the trauma he endured in El Salvador, and his own secrets. The novel’s title, So Much Blue, foreshadows the color blue’s symbolic significance. Similarly, in the initial pages of the novel, Kevin describes the layout of his private painting, which consists mainly of shades of blue ranging from cobalt to cerulean. By focusing on blue at the novel’s beginning, without yet providing symbolic context as to its meaning, Everett produces suspense. He then utilizes all three of the interwoven narratives to expand on blue's connection to the trauma that Kevin endured in El Salvador and the rationale behind his painting.

Blue materializes as a symbol several times throughout the novel, both through artwork and through its literal presentation in nature. The color blue characterizes the burial of the girl...