Eggs

The titular symbol of eggs symbolizes both David and Primrose, as their emotionally hard exteriors protect their emotional vulnerabilities. David in particular keeps his grief locked deep inside, refusing to allow anyone to get close to him. This pattern is most evident in his rejection of his grandmother, who wants nothing more than to comfort him. When David’s grandmother tries to curb his misbehavior, her attempts at discipline do not register with him. At the end of Chapter 5, after defying his grandmother’s latest restriction, David reflects that “[n]o one, not grandmothers, not anyone, could touch him. His mother’s death had made him invincible” (24). At this point, David believes his hard shell will shield him from consequences. His grandmother’s cautious treatment of him also evokes the colloquialism of “walking on eggshells,” reinforcing the symbolism of David as an egg. By treating him delicately, she shows her understanding that his seemingly hard shell is actually quite fragile, and she gives him space to come to terms with his emotions in his own way.

Primrose’s relationship to the egg symbol can be seen in her van, which her peers often pelt with literal eggs.