Black Scarf

The black scarf Hypatia gives Praxis before she leaves for Reading University symbolizes entrapment. When Hypatia gives Praxis the scarf, she tells her that no matter where she goes she will always have to take herself with her. Praxis sees her sister's words, and the scarf, as a curse, locking her in the traumas of her childhood. Therefore, when the wind carries the scarf away on the train, Praxis sees this as a positive omen, desperate to believe that she is pursuing a new life, uninhibited by the past.

109 Holden Road

Praxis's childhood home at 109 Holden Road symbolizes the past. When Praxis leaves Holden Road to live with Miss Leonard, she believes she is leaving the past behind, and starting a new, more liberated phase of her life. However, throughout the novel, Praxis continually returns to Holden Road, thus illustrating her inability to release herself...