Newspapers

Repeated images of newspapers throughout the novel are symbolic of history. The newspapers, while presenting events from the recent past, act as portals into the remembered past. When G.G. encounters or reads newspapers from the past or the present, he feels himself shifting into an alternate temporal realm.

Fly

The fly that G.G. encounters on the plane is symbolic of dislocation. Throughout the novel, G.G. repeatedly remarks on Gaustine's seeming alienation. However, he is in fact remarking upon the isolation he fears in himself and sees in Gaustine, a manifestation of his alter-ego. The fly furthers these notions. Gaustine watches it move around the cabin, wondering if it has a name, a history, or a nation. The fly, like him, appears disconnected from any one version of reality.

Clinic

The clinic of the past is symbolic of power and control. In creating the...