Meryem’s clothes

The colorful clothes that Meryem purchases after divorcing from her husband symbolize her newfound freedom of expression. At last, Meryem feels empowered to dress and behave like her truest self.

Ada’s castle

Ada’s toy castle, which Defne accidentally crushes, is symbolic of Defne’s distracted parenting style. The fact that Defne immediately proceeds to tell Ada about a real-life castle that she and Kostas visited together shows that she is mentally stuck in the past, inhibiting her from wholly dedicating herself to her daughter.

Songbirds

Songbirds are symbolic of the beauty of the natural world. Kostas is horrified when his mother tries to cook a songbird for dinner, and again when he finds them trapped en masse. Kostas resents how humans destroy the order of nature and animals, and prizes natural beauty above all else.

The fig tree

The fig tree symbolizes...