51 pages • 1-hour read
Our Last Resort
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Symbols & Motifs
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of emotional abuse, rape, graphic violence, and death.
The Wooden Letter “F”
Gabriel carves a rough wooden letter “F” as a present for Frida, and this is a symbol of individuality within a system that is designed to erase it. Émile’s cult prohibits personal possessions and selfhood is subsumed into collective ideology. In this environment, Gabriel makes the letter for Frida as a way to create a memento of their relationship and to recognize her as someone who is important to him. For Frida, the “F” is special because Gabriel is the first person in her life to show her true kindness, and she appreciates the token of affection. Moreover, it is one of the first objects she can truly call her own, and it anchors her identity amid enforced communal anonymity.
The carved letter also symbolizes The Moral Complexities of Unconditional Devotion. Gabriel could have been punished for stealing the cult’s supplies to create it, and Frida risks punishment by keeping it. Their exchange highlights their loyalty to one another despite the risks. In this way, the “F” foreshadows Frida’s later willingness to go to extreme lengths to protect Gabriel, culminating in her decision to kill Annie. The enduring emotional resonance of the carved letter speaks to the depth of their bond, which is forged through their shared experience of adversity. Even as adults, Frida and Gabriel continue to act out of a sense of irrevocable loyalty to one another.
The Cult Bracelets
For Frida in particular, the cult bracelets symbolize oppression and abuse. They become one of the novel’s primary markers for The Persistence of Trauma. The blue bracelet especially distresses Frida because Émile gives it to her on her 18th birthday, which is the day on which he begins sexually assaulting the female members of the cult. Even years later, long after Frida has escaped the cult and taken her bracelet off, she continues to feel its phantom presence. On one summer trip, she goes swimming and weeds tangle around her arms; she panics because that feeling reminds her of the bracelet around her wrist. This episode epitomizes the impact that childhood trauma still has on Frida, even as an adult. Even after breaking free from the cult, the bracelet’s psychological imprint remains. Frida’s anxiety, her recurring traumatic memories, and the difficulty she has in building relationships all tie back to the abusive system of the cult, and this is represented by the bracelet.
The Roman Empire and the Story of Romulus and Remus
After leaving the cult, Gabriel falls in love with learning. He finds himself especially drawn to the Roman Empire, which comes to represent his search for identity and highlights the theme of Reclaiming Identity in the Aftermath of Abuse. His interest in classical history is rooted in his desire for moral clarity and ancestral meaning, which the cult denied him. In Rome’s mythology and history, he finds solace in the depiction of families, seeing this as a substitute for his own lost origin story.
In particular, he is drawn to the tale of Romulus and Remus, orphaned siblings raised by a wolf who grow up to found the city of Rome. To Gabriel, this story represents the possibility of meaningful, measurable success even after abandonment and trauma. Romulus and Remus become a guiding light for Gabriel, propelling him forward even as depression mires him in the past. The story offers a model of sibling resilience and success against the odds, which he finds appealing.
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