The Plastic Bag

The plastic bag that the wife believes is a burnt animal represents her suppressed mental anguish. She is deeply unhappy in her marriage and her life, but is unable to communicate that with anyone. When she first sees the plastic bag, she is alarmed because she thinks it is an animal struggling to survive, but on the brink of death. She realizes it is only a bag, but when she tells Didier about it weeks later she tells him she saw a little animal. She wants him to think that she saw and experienced something horrible, because he is not receptive to her feelings. He fails to acknowledge her story of the animal, but she continues to think of it in moments of unhappiness.

Chocolate

Susan relies on chocolate when she is distressed, and chocolate is symbolizes her attempts to temporarily control and shut...