The Sea Setting & Symbolism

The Sea Objects/Places

The Sea

The sea appears throughout the novel as a powerful presence, threatening in the emotional sense (in that tides of emotion and memory often rush in and overwhelm the narrator) as well as in the physical sense (the sea, as described later in the novel overwhelms Chloe and she drowns). This latter aspect of the sea is particularly noteworthy, in that its physical dangers are, for the narrator, associated with death in general and his own impending death in particular. In this context, it's essential to note that images of the sea appear at both the beginning and the end of the novel - awareness of death, therefore, can be seen as the beginning and the end of the narrator's experience. Here also is the meaning of the novel's title - it is ultimately a study of death.

The Wrecked Boat

The wrecked boat described at the beginning of the novel can be seen...
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