Flowers

The flowers are a sign of duty. Because Simon’s mother had fulfilled her marital duty by giving her husband an heir, Simon’s father arranged to have fresh flowers put on his wife’s grave every week. The narrator notes that Simon’s father did mourn his wife’s death, even though he did not love her.

Newspaper

The newspaper is a symbol of scandal and opportunistic behavior. Lady Whistledown writes her gossip paper to scandalize the people of upper-crust society in London. It is also a symbol of opportunistic behavior because Lady Whistledown gives two weeks of the paper for free, making sure that her readers get addicted to the news included in the paper before she begins charging for the paper. This ensures that readers will pay for the paper to continue to know the secrets that their friends know.

List

Daphne and...