Parents Weekend

Mr. and Mrs. Belov choose to end the students’ lives in the sea cave as a way to make them suffer exactly what Natasha suffered. In their minds, the sea cave symbolizes karmic justice. For the students, the sea cave becomes a symbolic crossroads, where they must face their fears, confront their secrets, and take accountability for their actions. As an archetypal setting, caves represent the inner self. Here, the students are pushed toward introspection about how they’ve treated Natasha, each other, and their families. As they probe the depths of their inner selves, they recognize selfish intentions, naivety, and betrayals. However, their shared acknowledgement about wanting to hug their parents symbolizes a decision to change and to break the cycles of secrets and blame.

The bonfire in Chapter 70, like the sea cave, echoes the setting and imagery from the night of Natasha’s death, which put the tragic events of parents weekend in motion. This repetition represents the idea that things have come full circle, creating a sense of finality that will allow the survivors to move on. Fire often symbolizes cleansing through the cyclical process of destruction and renewal.