Empire Falls Setting & Symbolism

Empire Falls Objects/Places

A Dead Moose

The carcass washes ashore and is trapped in an eddy at the building site of the Hacienda. The eddy becomes a metaphor for Empire falls, and the moose for the characters and their secrets.

The Rectory at St. Catherine's

Miles and Father Mark call this The Rectum, a nickname growing out of youthful Miles' inability to distinguish between the two words.

St. Catherine's Steeple

Miles never manages to build up enough courage to paint the steeple, a symbol of a fear he has developed in adulthood to risk new ventures.

The Thirsty Whale

An inexpensive restaurant on Martha's Vineyard where Grace takes Miles and introduces him to steamed clams-to which he quickly becomes addicted.

The Cock of the Walk

This is an expensive restaurant on Martha's Vineyard, where Mr. Mayne makes steamed clams appear, even though they are not on the menu.

The Gazebo at the Hacienda Site

This is the site where the dead moose washed ashore and the place where Mrs. Whiting and Timmy were when washed away by the...
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