Fawn

The fawn is symbolic of fragility. When Eszter is growing up, Angéla adopts a pet fawn. Eszter becomes desperate to free the fawn, but ends up accidentally releasing it into the railroad tracks when a train is passing. Throughout the novel, Angéla's character increasingly resembles the fawn. In much the same way that Eszter kills the fawn, she begins to long for Angéla's destruction. This is particularly because she resents Angéla's fragility and the companionship it has consistently afforded her.

Piano

Eszter's mother's piano is symbolic of longing. When the lover asks Eszter to accompany him to a concert, she refuses, as the music reminds her of her mother and her piano. The piano is a gateway into Eszter's past, and thus the longing she associates with her mother's absence, the war, and the loss of the piano during the bombing.

Graves