The Tent

Francie's tent symbolizes memory. Francie's constructs the tent so that she will have a safe place to sit with her childhood remembrances. The tent allows Francie the safety to draw her memories out of her mind, and perceive them as objects over which she has control. By zipping the tent after leaving it, Francie convinces herself she can keep the memories from intruding on her space. Once she is finished with the tent, she dismantles it, realizing it granted her the ability to make peace with her past, and that she no longer needs it.

The Rose

The rose symbolizes magic. When the rose falls out of Francie's friend's curtains, she becomes afraid, unsure why two-dimensional objects keep falling into her three-dimensional realm. With Vicky's help, Francie learns to see the rose as evidence of the supernatural. At the end of the novel, she allows...