Mare

The mare that gives birth in "The Remembrance" is a symbol of Maeve's struggle to accept the passage of time following her mother's death. Although Maeve is focused on the fact that it is the anniversary of her mother's death, her siblings, who seem to have forgotten this, are more interested in watching a mare give birth to new life. The association of birth with newness and regeneration speaks to the unease that Maeve feels about the forward motion of time in the wake of tragedy, while the disgust that she and Henry show when they are forced to watch the grislier parts of the birth demonstrates their reluctance to move forward.

Mimi's Doll

The kind treatment that Mimi shows her doll in "Day Trip" is a symbol of the importance of small parental gestures in shaping the attitudes of children. When Henry catches Mimi brushing...