Harriet’s Hair

At the beginning of the novel the reader learns that Harriet was required by Felix to keep her hair cut short. Her natural hair was long, wavy, and wild, which Felix did not like. To make him happy, Harriet willingly cuts her hair. However, when Felix dies she begins to let it grow out, and later on even takes to wearing outlandish hats to bring even more attention to her hair.

As a symbol, then, Harriet's Hair is an outward sign of her inward change. Her true self is coming forward in all of its wild abandon and she will never cut it back or reshape it again.

The Empathy Box

The Empathy boxes are tiny dioramas that incorporate mirrors so that the perspective offered varies with where the viewer stands. Harriet constructed these to reiterate the plight of the woman artist, whose view...