The Ball and the Cross

As the title of the book, the ball and the cross are two of the novel’s most significant symbols, representing the necessary balance between the natural and supernatural world. The cross represents religion and irrationality, which relies upon the world, which represents science and rationality, to hold it up. As shown in MacIan and Turnbull’s dream visions, a cross without a ball has nowhere to rest, and a ball with a crooked cross becomes deformed and misshapen.

The Flying Ship

The flying ship is one of several symbols of paradox throughout the story. When we first encounter the flying ship, it is viewed as a symbol of science and a feat of the natural world because it is one of Professor Lucifer’s many inventions. When we last see the ship, it is flying over the burning asylum and purported...