Mirrors

The mirrors in the novel are important because they are symbols of grief. The covering of mirrors was a tradition for Jews in mourning. Slava covered mirrors in hopes that it would make him feel the grief he believed he should after his grandmother’s death.

A Small Notebook

This small notebook was a symbol of the memories that Slava had of his grandmother. He had intended to write down stories about her in the notebook but all he had was the story about how his grandparents met. At the end of the novel the notebook appeared again when Slava went to his grandmother’s grave in an attempt to communicate with her.

Maps on the Lampposts

During their walk in Central Park Arianna complained about the maps that had been put on the lampposts. To her the maps symbolized a sense of location when she...