49 pages • 1-hour read
Chasing Love
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Symbols & Motifs
Charlie’s Ring
Charlie Mason’s engagement ring is a symbol of commitment. Over the course of her and Julian Baker’s three-month relationship, Charlie feels as if romantic happiness might once again be within her reach. However, as soon as Julian proposes and puts the diamond ring on her finger, Charlie starts to question what she really wants and whether Julian is really the man she belongs with. The ring effectively bars her from dealing with her unresolved feelings for Lex Edwards. It also “seals her fate” with Julian. Her internal monologue while studying the ring on the night of the proposal conveys her fraught feelings about the engagement:
The ring is taunting me, its weight now unbearable. It’s beautiful, but this moment isn’t what I imagined. I feel guilty as I sit here wearing this piece of jewelry with a symbolic meaning. This ring means the promise of committing myself to Julian for the rest of my life (69).
This promise is exactly what scares Charlie. She and Lex broke up nine years prior, and Julian is the perfect match. Even still, Charlie is unsure if committing to Julian is what she really wants. For this reason, she repeatedly takes off the ring. At times, she leaves it behind in her apartment, or merely slides “it across the table as far away from [herself] as possible” (69). These behaviors reveal Charlie’s trepidations about marrying Julian. She is wary of accepting a new version of love with a new man before she’s found closure with Lex. In other scenes, however, Charlie will flash the ring at Lex to make him jealous. Even when she uses the ring to remind Lex that she is in a committed relationship and doesn’t need him, its meaning is all about him, not about the man who gave it to her.
Phoenix Necklace
The phoenix-shaped necklace that Lex gives to Charlie is a symbol of new life, possibility, resurrection, and hope. A phoenix is a mythical bird known for lighting itself on fire, dying, and resurrecting itself from its own ashes. Lex notices the phoenix that Charlie has tattooed on her body when they’re having sex one night. Shortly thereafter, he has the image replicated in the form of a diamond-encrusted Tiffany’s pendant for Charlie. This extravagant birthday gift is Lex’s way of telling Charlie that they should give their relationship a second chance. He wants Charlie to believe that they can love each other again despite the heartbreak they caused each other years prior. Charlie starts wearing the necklace immediately thereafter. She is still wary of trusting Lex, but her decision to sport the pendant conveys her desire to let Lex back into her heart. She also wants a second chance with her first love, hoping that they can resurrect their former passion from the proverbial ashes of their past relationship.
The necklace also represents the life cycles of Charlie and Lex’s relationship. Whenever they are together, they end up hurting each other. This hurt leads to self-destruction. Like the phoenix, the relationship disintegrates, too. Over time, however, the romantic counterparts find their way back to each other, make amends, and try at love again. The author uses the necklace to foreshadow the repeated patterns Charlie and Lex’s dynamic falls into. Despite their efforts at achieving balance, Charlie and Lex’s relationship continually devolves, resurrects, and evolves again.
Tattoo
Charlie’s phoenix tattoo is a symbol of renewal and personal growth. She gets the tattoo after her breakup with Lex, and it symbolizes her effort to recover from the pain of the breakup and rebuild her sense of identity and confidence. Lex is surprised to discover the tattoo during one of their sexual encounters, but Charlie “brush[es] it off” when he tries asking about its meaning (347). Charlie’s decision to withhold this information conveys her reluctance to tell Lex what she had to overcome after he left her. The tattoo is a reminder of the pain Charlie suffered and the life she rebuilt because and in spite of all she lost.
Running
Scenes of Charlie and Lex going on runs recur throughout the novel. The characters most often go on runs when they are feeling frustrated, confused, angsty, or upset. Running offers them a way to escape their internal turmoil. This form of exercise is an archetypal symbol of freedom. The body is in motion, which evokes notions of liberation and control. Both Charlie and Lex are indeed trying to escape their emotional unrest. They may continue to mull over their problems while they are running, but the pastime affords them a release. They feel less controlled by their angst when they are working out. Running is a positive coping mechanism that helps both Charlie and Lex process and balance their emotions.
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