Emerald Dress

The emerald dress symbolizes Phoebe’s ambivalence toward her own worth and visibility. It is a garment she once deemed too extravagant for her life, suggesting a disconnect between how she sees herself and how others might. Wearing it on the night she intends to die signals a final gesture of dignity or defiance: a way of marking her departure with something beautiful. That it is the only piece of clothing she brings to the Cornwall Inn reinforces how little future she imagines for herself. As she continues living, the dress lingers as a relic of a former self she is beginning to outgrow.

Gift Bag

The gift bag Lila gives Phoebe in the opening chapter symbolizes Phoebe’s accidental entry into a life she did not plan to continue living. Intended for a wedding guest, the bag marks Phoebe as part of an event...