Expired Contacts

Olive’s expired contacts are symbols of misinterpretation. Because Olive has her contacts out, she is not able to see Adam clearly and is not even sure with whom she was talking in the bathroom. She believes he was perhaps another graduate student. Years later when Holden tells Olive that Adam has loved her since their original meeting, Olive misinterprets what Holden is telling her and believes that he must be referring to another girl Adam met.

Title IX

Title IX is both a symbol of flirtation and of a serious accusation. When Adam threatens to file a Title IX complaint, a sexual harassment complaint, against Olive, he is actually flirting with her. They continue to banter about Adam’s Title IX complaint and how thick the file must be getting. Later, after Tom suggests that Olive must sleep with him because he agreed to...