Previous Marriages

Alice’s previous marriages symbolize the persistence of one’s past in shaping one’s presence. Alice consistently attempts to avoid talking about her past marriages and divorces. However, chance and circumstance continue to bring the legacies of those marriages to the forefront of her life. Neither she nor her current husband can ignore the fact of those past marriages, and the more Alice tries to deny them, the more discordant her present life becomes.

Lily’s Illness

Lily’s illness (typhoid) symbolizes both the necessities and the difficulties of caring for a child. Lily herself is a product of Alice’s first marriage. When Lily becomes ill, the Waythorns and Haskett all have a vested personal/moral interest in comforting her and re-securing her health. One side effect of these events is that Haskett becomes more present in the Waythorns’ lives, thereby creating some...