What does the boat, the Hope, represent to Ava and Evered in the novel, The Innocents?

The Hope symbolizes Ada and Evered's hope for survival. The vessel was the only contact the siblings had with the outside world throughout the majority of the novel. Their continued anticipation of the boat's arrival evokes their desire to survive another winter. When The Hope docked off of the cove it marked the passage of another year and fortified Ada and Evered's confidence that they could live on the island alone.