The Play

The play the narrator is in is symbolic of life's unpredictability. In Part 1, the play is called The Opposite Shore, and in Part 2, it is called Rivers. Both titles evoke notions of time passing or transitional life phases. Further, in both iterations of the production, the play tells the story of a woman divided between two conflicting versions of self. The play conveys how life can alter the individual's identity in irreconcilable ways.

Apartment

The narrator's West Village apartment is symbolic of home and predictability. She relies on this space for a sense of grounding in her otherwise amorphous reality. Therefore, when things start to change in her domestic sphere, the narrator feels unmoored.

Narrator's Scarf

In Part 1, the narrator's scarf is symbolic of intimacy. Tomas "bought [it] for [her] on a whim, on a trip [they] had taken to London" (33). The scarf represents their...