House

The family house is symbolic of ownership and identity. To Isabel, the house is an extension of herself. It is her only footing in the world as she is unmarried and unemployed. She is desperate to claim the house as her own as a way to claim autonomy over her future. To Eva, the house is her only connection with her late family and her life before the war. She is desperate to claim the house as her own, because she is trying to take back the life that was stolen from her.

Mother's Photograph

The image of the knocked over photograph in Chapter 1 is symbolic of disruption. When Isabel returns from Den Haas, she finds the window in Mother's room left open and the framed photo of her mother tipped face down. The image foreshadows the coming intrusion that Eva's presence at the house will...