Hair

In "Smartening Up," hair symbolizes both entrapment and power. At the story's start, the first person narrator sees her body hair as a burden. She is even convinced her hairiness is the reason her boyfriend broke up with her. To cure her heartbreak, she becomes obsessed with the dream of hairlessness. Then one evening her aunt's ghost visits, and insists that a woman's hair is her source of power. After the narrator confronts her emotional pain, her entire body sprouts long beautiful hair. She suddenly feels strong and energized.

Peony Lanterns

The peony lanterns the ghosts sell to Shinzaburō in "The Peony Lanterns," symbolize renewal. Amidst a long bout of depression, the last thing Shinzaburō wants are visitors. The ghost women, however, gradually impress themselves upon Shinzaburō. Their mysterious product similarly jars him out of his despairing state of mind. After buying four of the lanterns...