54 pages • 1-hour read
The Crash
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Symbols & Motifs
Teddy Bears
In The Crash, teddy bears symbolize the loving bond between parent and child. Polly keeps the teddy bear meant for her and Hank’s child in the back of the pantry, where it won’t be a constant reminder of her inability to be a mother. She can’t bring herself to get rid of it altogether because it represents the future possibility of a child, and she’s not ready to let go of hope. Hidden in the darkness of the pantry in the same way that Polly hides her trauma over not having a child, the status of the bear parallels Polly’s state of mind and hopelessness. Through this connection, the teddy bear’s symbolism explores The Psychological Influence of Maternal Instinct, and what happens when it is thwarted, through Polly’s character.
If teddy bears symbolize the parent-child bond, then Jackson’s choice to give one to Tegan’s baby represents the parental role that Tegan hopes he will play in the baby’s life. It also serves as Tegan’s reminder that Jackson has the qualities she wants in a partner and a father figure for Tia, despite her temporary suspicions about him. In the hospital, Jackson sets the bear on the dresser right next to Polly’s teddy bear, creating a juxtaposition of the two women’s maternal instincts. The card that accompanies Polly’s bear wishes Tegan and her daughter “all the happiness in the world” (315). This gesture shows Polly’s hard-earned acceptance of her situation and illustrates how she has learned to let go of jealousy and bitterness toward mothers. By giving the bear to Tegan, she metaphorically passes along all the love and care she would have given to her child.
Flask, Lighter, and Pepper Spray
Three of the items that Polly finds in Tegan’s purse—a flask, pepper spray, and a lighter—influence the assumptions that she makes about Tegan and that she uses to justify her abuse. The flask leads her to think that Tegan has been drinking while pregnant and even driving under the influence. The lighter suggests to her that Tegan is a smoker who has continued smoking while pregnant. These ideas, in turn, reinforce Polly’s belief that Tegan takes drugs, based on Tegan’s request for pain medication. The pepper spray also allows her to develop the idea that Tegan is a threat, as it evokes thoughts about the possibility that Tegan could use it to harm her or Hank. As time goes on, Polly has plenty of opportunities to recognize that these assumptions are false. Tegan is in the basement for days without access to cigarettes or alcohol, and she decides not to take the pills that she thinks are Dilaudid. However, Polly persists in these beliefs about Tegan because they allow her to rationalize taking Tegan’s baby. These objects act as symbols of false judgment and develop the book’s theme on Perception Versus Reality and the Dangers of Presumption, illustrating how easily one’s perception can distort reality and create biases that justify morally ambiguous action and decision-making.
Medical Care
The medical community and environment often play a role in McFadden’s novels, a reflection of her real-life experience as a doctor who specializes in brain injury. In The Crash, medical care becomes a motif that is threaded throughout the narrative, often intersecting with the theme of Perception Versus Reality and the Dangers of Presumption. When Tegan is first taken home by Hank, she assumes that he is her abductor, in part because of his imposing physical presence. Polly, on the other hand, seems less threatening, and this impression is due partly to her status as a nurse, which leads Tegan to believe that Polly is innately nurturing and kind. Polly is, in fact, nurturing to many people in her life, but in Tegan’s case, this impression is false.
This dynamic sets up a juxtaposition throughout the novel between the caring guise of the medical profession and community and the reality of Polly’s abuse of Tegan. Polly’s “care” of Tegan includes involuntary sedation, while her most serious injury, her leg, remains untreated to the point that it could lead to her death. Once this is revealed, Polly does treat Tegan’s leg, but the injury, though serious, remains secondary to Polly’s goals, illustrated by the fact that she treats it at home rather than taking Tegan to the hospital, as is warranted. This tension continues throughout the novel as Polly sneaks into the hospital in her scrubs to kill Tegan, again giving the appearance of medical care with the exact opposite in mind. This motif even expands beyond the character of Polly when Dennis tries to inject morphine into Tegan’s IV—what is normally an act of medical care becomes, again, a murderous act.
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