Freda’s Chamber Pot

Freda’s chamber pot is a symbol of territorialism. Early on in the novel, she tries to torment Edmund by peeing in her chamber pot and delivering it to him in his (her old) room. She is angry that the Morgan family is now occupying her house (like the British are occupying Hamburg), and this action represents her resentment and her refusal to accept this. Like a dog, she is marking her territory with her urine.

The Missing Painting

The missing painting is symbolic of Stefan’s mysterious past and the prejudice behind the assumptions that the British women have of him and of all Germans. When gossipy Susan visits Rachel at Villa Lubert, she is the first to notice that there is a space on the wall where it appears a painting once was. She suggests it was a portrait of the...