The Circle

Stenton’s translucent shark is symbolic of the Circle’s pursuit to become omnipotent. The shark’s innermost workings are visible, but this doesn’t stop it from devouring all that it encounters. Although it presents itself with transparency, it doesn’t face accountability. Of the Circle’s senior members, the shark most aligns with Stenton, who is a cutthroat capitalist with a Darwinian outlook.

The octopus also holds symbolic value because it “seem[s] to want to know everything: the shape of the glass, the topography of the coral below, the feel of the water all around” (311). This represents a more innocent, or naïve, perception of the Circle, as if it only wants knowledge for the sake of satiating curiosity.

Aside from the creatures that Stenton captures in Marianas Trench, harbor seals are another marine animal that holds symbolic value. When Mae goes kayaking, during times of introspection, she looks for seals. While on the water, she disconnects from social media, which typically provides her with affirmation of her presence and worth—but she turns to the seals to provide her with recognition.  

There is a new sculpture on campus called “Reaching Through for the Good of Humankind.” The sculpture is “fourteen feet high, made of a thin and perfectly translucent form of plexiglass” (348).