Playtex Advertisement

The Playtex ad shown to Helen by Boone Cross is a symbol of the history of women in space travel, a history with which Helen does not feel much of a connection. Cross intends to make a point, that women found a way to contribute, even long ago when opportunities were limited, but Helen is feeling impatient. She wants to know whether or not she is being offered a position on the crew to Mars and does not feel like listening to his story. The author notes, "she hadn't identified the woman in the advertisement as belonging to something connected with herself" (9). Helen considers herself an astronaut, not a female astronaut.

Picture in the Broadway Program

The picture of the actor in the Broadway play's program is used as a symbol of Dmitri's secret about his sexuality. When Ilya claims that he can tell just...