Telephone

The telephone symbolizes stasis. Throughout the novel, the narrator is often depicted sitting or lying in front of the phone waiting for Ivan to call. She believes that the phone anchors her in reality, yet her obsession with waiting for it to ring only succeeds in immobilizing her, and locking her in a prolonged interstitial space.

Ungargasse Apartments

The Ungargasse apartments where the narrator and Ivan live symbolize reality. The narrator often refers to the Ungargasse as her country, and thus the sum of her existence and identity. She believes that the best, indeed the only version of life exists while she is in her apartment. She also feels more stable when she knows that Ivan is in his apartment, or on the verge of contacting her in her home.

Chess

Throughout the section "Happy with Ivan," the narrator and Ivan are often depicting playing chess...