One of the Girls

The island and sea function as central motifs, emphasizing Secrets as Bond and Solvent and The Power and Precarity of Female Friendship. The steep cliff and the hidden beach cove establish metaphors; what is alluring from above can be perilous when viewed too closely or from the wrong angle. This duality is felt in moments like Robyn and Fen’s sunrise hike, where nature reveals its beauty and encourages their connection. The nude swimming scene and the wading pool scene turn the sea into a liberating sanctuary: “Cold water splashed around her calves, climbing her thighs, cool and secret. Then she dived under, the salt water sensual and incredible, cooling every inch of her flushed skin” (104). During the trip to a hidden cove, Robyn experiences a defining and life-changing moment and her bond with Fen deepen.

The sea also symbolizes danger. Bella’s solo swim becomes a crisis when she swims too far from shore after drinking. She confronts her pain, screaming into the water, and then becomes terrified that she swam too far. The motif culminates in Bella’s fall from the cliff into the sea: “The sea—one moment, so alluring in its shimmering glory, and the next, dark, bottomless, and deadly” (342).