45 pages • 1-hour read
Bully
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Symbols & Motifs
Sexual Tension
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of sexual violence, emotional abuse, and substance use.
Sexual tension is a recurring motif in Bully, highlighting the paradoxical feelings of conflict and connection that define Tate and Jared’s turbulent and unhealthy relationship dynamics. Despite their antagonism, Tate is frequently aware of Jared’s physical presence, and she often gives in to her visceral attraction to him, noting his voice, his body, and even the scent of his cologne. This awkward awareness complicates the underlying emotional and physical confusion that characterizes their interactions. In one instance, Jared approaches Tate while she is wrapped in a towel in the locker room, and Tate describes their eventual kiss in problematic terms, stating, “He assaulted my mouth like he was starving” (145). Her word choice suggests a blurred line between “assault” and consent. The emotional complexity of the pair’s dynamic becomes increasingly evident as Tate begins to feel both anger and attraction and reflects, “While my body definitely reacted positively to him, my brain practiced a zero tolerance policy…from now on” (148).
These conflicting feelings show that the characters’ unresolved history shapes Tate’s present emotional state, complicating the novel’s focus on The Challenge of Repairing Relationships. Her fraught dynamic with Jared reinforces her need to establish stronger boundaries, even when attraction and tension are part of the narrative. Within this context, the pair’s eventual decision to become an official couple remains problematic, as Jared’s confession of his past trauma only partially mitigates the damage that he has caused.
Thunderstorms
Thunderstorms and rain are used as a motif throughout Bully, often indicating emotional turning points or significant moments in Jared and Tate’s relationship. When Tate returns from France, for example, a storm begins when she notices Jared watching her from his window. The atmosphere is filled with anticipation and mystery, foreshadowing the conflicts to come. Rain also reappears during many of the story’s most emotionally intense scenes, including the pair’s moments of reconciliation and vulnerability as they work on The Challenge of Repairing Relationships. When Jared and Tate finally begin to confront their past and find a modicum of understanding, the rainfall in the scene emphasizes the significance of their conversation and implies that an emotional cleansing is taking place. Later, when they connect sexually, Tate thinks to herself, “His breath was hot, and he tasted like rain. Like a memory that I wanted to wrap myself up in forever” (261). By comparing Jared’s own energy to the rain and the intensity of a storm, she articulates the full complexity of her feelings for him. This recurring motif connects moments of tension and emotional shifts, and its meaning eventually shifts to a broader celebration of the pair’s attempts at healing. Collectively, these moments form a pattern of renewal and change, and in the novel’s final chapter, the thunder heard in the distance suggests both closure and the possibility of future storms, reflecting the fact that relationships, like the weather, remain changeable and unpredictable.
Madman
Jared’s dog, Madman, was once jointly cared for by Tate and Jared both, and in the midst of their current conflict, his periodic appearances symbolize the lost connection and unresolved emotions that lie between them. Before their friendship ended, they found the dog together, and he served as a symbol of their friendship. However, after Jared returned from a summer with his father, he changed dramatically, and although Tate gave up the dog for Jared’s sake, Madman has remained loyal to her and continues to seek her out. His presence becomes a gentle reminder of the teens’ emotional history, and whenever he seeks Tate out, his actions slowly push the two back together. At one point, Tate finds the dog waiting in the rain and follows him inside to discover that Jared is drinking alone, caught up in vulnerable emotions. This moment leads to an intense sexual encounter that represents their first attempt at overcoming The Challenge of Repairing Relationships. The dog’s appearance thus indirectly shifts the emotional tone from antagonism to nascent romance and sexuality. The dog’s loyalty and presence serve as a bridge—not just between the two houses but also between the teens’ past feelings and present misunderstanding. As a symbol, the dog represents both what was lost and what might still be repaired.
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