My Return to the Walter Boys

Jackie’s mother’s pendant is a symbol of Navigating Grief and the Healing Process, as well as Vulnerability as a Source of Connection. Initially, Jackie could not bring herself to wear the pendant, which represents her unresolved grief and reluctance to fully confront her mother’s death. Over time, however, choosing to wear it demonstrates Jackie’s tentative steps toward integrating her loss into her identity. The pendant acts as a tangible connection to her past, a reminder of the love she once had, and the pain she continues to carry. 

Jackie passes this sense of healing on to Nathan, creating a connection through shared grief and symbolizing a transfer of hope and comfort. This act reflects the deepening bonds within the Walter family and reinforces Jackie’s place among this found family, where emotional support and care go beyond biological ties. The pendant thus encapsulates both the burden of loss and the possibility of healing through connection.

The Walter boys’ truck is a recurring symbol that represents freedom, recklessness, and the idea of found family. The truck smells of sex when Jackie is picked up, hinting at the Walter boys’ lack of boundaries. The truck’s physicality and the moments spent inside it become symbolic of Jackie’s immersion in a life that is thrilling, uncomfortable, and precarious. Functionally, the truck represents the boundary between Jackie’s sheltered past and the chaotic, often risky temptations of the Walter family’s world. It is a space where rules are blurred and conventional expectations are challenged, reflecting Jackie’s internal conflict between desire and self-preservation. The truck also symbolizes the transition of moving from childhood innocence toward the uncertain terrain of adulthood, where choices carry weight and consequences.