Marriage

Although marriage traditionally symbolizes the unification of two people in a bond of love, in this book, Marriage symbolizes the difficulties that prevent people from fully becoming united. The protagonist’s relatively brief marriage to Christopher represents the obstacles that often obstruct the path to true intimacy. Christopher was often unfaithful, and the while the protagonist felt as if she knew him fairly well, she gains a more intimate look at his life after he disappears. While searching for Christopher in Greece, the protagonist goes through his belongings, and her suspicions about the existence of various secrets between them is confirmed.

Mourning

Mourning symbolizes existential sadness that pervades every life, even in the absence of any clear loss. The protagonist remarks that she is surprised at Christopher’s choice to center his second book around the subject of mourning rituals, as Christopher has suffered no great...