40 pages • 1-hour read
And Every Morning The Way Home Gets Longer And Longer
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Symbols & Motifs
Content Warning: This section of the guide depicts illness, mental illness, and death.
Hyacinths and Coriander
Hyacinths are a recurring sensory motif associated with Grandma and the persistence of memory beyond conscious recall. Their scent appears in both imagined and physical spaces, wherever Grandpa shares memories with Grandma or conjures emotions related to her. Because scent is closely tied to emotional memory, the hyacinths represent forms of remembrance that endure even as Grandpa’s cognitive abilities deteriorate. They evoke comfort, familiarity, and continuity, grounding moments of confusion in something instinctively recognizable.
Coriander operates as a complementary symbol tied to Grandma. Coriander is the seed of the cilantro plant, but has a milder, more savory smell. Grandma’s hatred of coriander and Grandpa’s habit of secretly growing it anyway makes the herb a symbol of affectionate provocation and domestic humor. The detail appears trivial, yet it signifies the depth of Grandpa and Grandma’s relationship, emphasizing how love is often expressed through small, inconsequential actions that are only meaningful to the people involved. These images support the theme of The Emotional Labor of Letting Go by showing that what remains at the end of life is not necessarily a chronology of achievements, but sensory memories linked to lived experience.
Mathematics
In the novella, mathematics represents order, certainty, and intellectual identity within the novella. Grandpa repeatedly frames mathematics as a guiding force, asserting that it can “always lead you home” and describing its “magic” as something that unlocks the universe (15). For Grandpa, numbers provide stability in a world increasingly defined by confusion. Mathematics becomes a system he trusts when memory, language, and orientation begin to fail.
This motif reflects Grandpa’s lifelong relationship with abstraction and logic. His faith in mathematics offers comfort and structure, but it cannot ultimately prevent cognitive decline. The repetition of mathematical references highlights the theme of Memory Loss as the Erasure of Identity. Keeping the mind active is advised to prevent or slow cognitive decline, but the novella uses mathematics to show that even someone as intellectually capable as Grandpa cannot prevent memory loss forever.
The Green Tent
Unlike earlier imagined spaces in the novella that expand and contract unpredictably, the green tent in the hospital room is stable, but it does not symbolize exploration. It is a self-contained, temporary shelter. In this sense, the green tent symbolizes what remains of Grandpa’s selfhood when his memories disintegrate.
This symbol supports The Emotional Labor of Letting Go. The tent does not restore Grandpa’s identity or awareness; instead, it provides a place where his family’s love can continue to be expressed without explanation or the need to make sense. Space, once infinite and frightening, is reduced to something intimate and shared. Through this transformation, Backman suggests that while identity may shrink through memory loss, it does not disappear. What remains is the closeness of those who choose to stay.
Unnecessary Presents
“Unnecessary” presents operate as a recurring symbol of intimacy unbound by practicality or usefulness in the novella. The gifts exchanged between Grandpa and Noah reject conventional expectations of value: Their worth lies entirely in shared humor and recognition. These presents emphasize silliness and affection over purpose, reinforcing the idea that love does not need justification or utility to be meaningful.
The balloon functions as the culmination of this symbol. Grandpa explains that the balloon is “the most unnecessary present anyone can get” because there is no need for a balloon in space, and that very uselessness is what makes it meaningful (50). The balloon becomes a symbol of laughter offered in advance, a reminder of connections meant to persist even when memory fails. By instructing Noah to hold the string, Grandpa cedes control, leaving Noah in charge of the game. This reinforces Love as an Anchor Against Cognitive Decline. The balloon and other presents demonstrate that these intimate moments have value precisely because they are unnecessary—their meaning is created by those who have made memories around them.
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