The Beast

The beast Toby and Josie see on the Lark property symbolizes the omnipresence of the supernatural. Though Nora is reluctant to believe the beast exists, the reader also knows Nora communes with her deceased daughter's spirit. Toby and Josie's detailed descriptions of the beast's appearances, further compel the reader to wonder if the creature could in fact exist. The author, therefore, uses the beast to represent the possible existence of the sprit world, to suggest that reality is elusive, the fantastic forever appearing amidst the factual.

The Lost Man

The lost man represents the perpetual presence of the past within the present. Though the lost man is Lurie, long dead, his presence haunts the Larks' land and lives. The author, therefore, uses the lost man to show how the present moment is forever saturated with the ghosts of history. Even if the modern individual cannot...