Throughout the story, there is a symbolic motif of sunflowers. Each chapter heading is accompanied by a line drawing of a sunflower. In Chapter 2, it becomes clear what this drawing refers to when Gregory paints a sunflower and tacks the picture to the wall of his new bedroom. This moment explicitly identifies sunflowers with Gregory and his perspective on the world.

Sunflowers are more than just green and living things. They have bright yellow faces that look like the sun—a key source of energy that makes life possible. They are vigorous growers that can thrive in poor conditions, and each day they turn their faces to follow the sun. They symbolize Gregory’s hope even in difficult circumstances and his ability to create beauty and keep growing despite his surroundings. The symbolic motif of sunflowers in this story helps to develop the theme of Not Being Defined by Circumstances by portraying Gregory’s optimistic determination to thrive.

The abandoned chalk factory where Gregory eventually creates his garden is a symbol of Gregory’s circumstances and his ability to make the best of them. When Gregory first encounters the building, he is trying to get out of the small house where he feels confined by Uncle Max’s disregard. Even Gregory’s place of refuge, though, is initially a depressing and dreary place. One wall and the entire ceiling have collapsed, and it is strewn with debris and dirt. The remaining walls are black with soot, and there are cobwebs everywhere.

Characteristically, Gregory decides to make the best of it. He immediately begins cleaning it and builds a seat for himself from old bricks. He uses the resources he has—as meagre as they are—and creates what he needs: a place of his own, where he can truly be himself. This makes the burned-out building a key part of developing the themes of The Importance of the Authentic Self and Not Being Defined by Circumstances.

When Gregory’s classmates first appear at the chalk factory, they are scornful, because they cannot see beyond Gregory’s impoverished circumstances. What his teachers see, however, when they visit later in the story, is his ability to make something beautiful out of what others might disregard as rubble and trash. The story closes with a visit from Ivy, suggesting that she, too, sees Gregory for who he is and respects the character that drives him to improve upon what he is given.