The Elements: A Novel

The cottage that Vanessa escapes to in Water is a symbol that represents the process of healing from trauma. The cottage and the island draw Vanessa in because of their “simplicity and monastic nature” (4), allowing her the space to process the death of Emma and the conviction of Brendan without distractions. Vanessa likes how spare the cottage is because it is a space in which she will have to look inward, with no one and nothing around her. By describing the cottage as monastic, the author creates an association with Vanessa’s perception of the cottage as a space of forgiveness and her goal of self-reflection.

When Aaron and Emmet arrive on the island for Vanessa’s funeral, they stay in the same cottage. Now, decades later, the cottage appears the same and bears the same symbolism. Aaron hopes that their trip will be transformative for Emmet, especially the “digital isolation” (458). Without his phone or the internet, Emmet will need to engage with Aaron and Rebecca. In this way, the cottage represents a world without the distractions that characters in the novel use to distract them from their life decisions, allowing them to deal with complex and uncomfortable emotions.