Cal's belongings

Cal’s belongings symbolize one’s grief about his death. Though each member of the family grieves, they heal from said grief at various speeds. His grandmother is able to overcome the powerful despair first, and is able to sort through and categorize most of his belongs “at around the six-month mark” (33). It takes her a significant amount of time to be able to conquer the overwhelming sorrow that was brought by looking at his personal belongings. However, it takes Rachel longer. Even as she leaves Sea Ridge, she is unable to come face to face with the miscellaneous items that her grandmother asks her to sort out. She feels hopeless, and even feels that she will “be driving around with it in the trunk for as long as [she has] this car” (33). However, as she is able to have heart-to-hearts with her friends about...