Agnes' Luggage

Agnes' luggage is a symbol of her restlessness and her inability to be content in her life. This impulse has lead her flee from her first husband "for the promise of a life worth living" (84). When the luggage appears in the novel it is on the eve of when Agnes plans to flee from her parents. "These brocade cases that were now carrying her away were the same ones that had brought her her to her mother's" (88).

Phoenix Rising

Phoenix Rising—the nickname that Eugene gives to Agnes during the shootout at the Grand Ole Opry—is a symbol of Agnes' rebirth and her newfound strength in sobriety. Like the mythical bird, Agnes is thought of as rising from her own ashes by those in her AA meeting (230-1). The ashes signify the broken pieces of her life—Shug, financial hardship, and her relationship with...