Boat

The boat is symbolic of the journey of the Man and his Wife. Their marriage has hit a rocky point and they are struggling to stay afloat when we first meet them. However, after the Man visits with the Woman of the City again, he is ready to give up on his marriage and even kill his Wife.

When the couple first gets into the boat, the Man has every intention of murdering his Wife by drowning her in the lake. The dog barks furiously as they get into the boat, as if to warn the Wife of what is to come. Their journey across the water is fraught with danger, especially for the Wife: the Man attempts to kill her. Although he can't bring himself to carry out the act, his terrified Wife runs away from him as quickly as possible. He eventually asks for forgiveness and...