Batteries

The batteries in Sensei's gadgets at the novel's start symbolize time. While Sensei and Tsukiko toy with the objects and their batteries, the friends make a remark about the batteries' limited life span. The batteries thus foreshadow the brief nature of Sensei's and Tsukiko's relationship. They are, therefore, aware that because of Sensei's age, their relationship may not last long. Yet like the items in Sensei's bureau, they are still capable of functioning, and functioning well for some time.

Chicks

The chicks that Sensei buys at the market symbolize companionship. Sensei buys the chicks somewhat impulsively after watching a mother purchase her son a kitten. Later, when Tsukiko asks why he bought two chicks instead of one, he explains that one would have been lonely without the other. The chicks are emblematic of the main characters' longing and need for companionship, and the ways in which...