Casey’s gun represents danger. When the gun first appears on the page, it is meant as a symbol of self-protection; Casey is glad she has the gun should Rudy return and make another sexual advance. Casey is also thankful for the gun when she discovers “there’s an intruder on my property” (40). She feels safe with the gun on her person—convinced she can protect herself should she face an attack.

However, the gun soon becomes a threat to Casey when Eleanor takes it from her, points it at her, and later wields it at Lee Traynor. Images of the gun pervade the novel, promising to go off at any moment and effectively augmenting the narrative tension. The gun represents the constant fear of danger that Casey has lived with since she was a child, as well as how easily that fear and inclination toward violence can be turned against her. It is also a narrative device used to intensify the novel’s underlying suspense.

The rotting peaches and pumpkins in Ella’s house are symbols of trauma. In Chapter 15, Ella is locked in the closet when she smells “a garbage smell” that’s “also sort of sweet” (66). She then discovers bags of rotten peaches that have rotted and turned almost liquid, “little worms squirming in a puddle of fetid juice” (66). The peaches were once soft, juicy, and edible; they have turned to a disgusting mess in Ella’s closet. Their decomposition represents the devolution of Ella’s psychological health over time. The more abuse she suffers, the less stable she feels.

The same is true of the pumpkins, which Ella finds rotting in her mom’s room. Desiree also hoarded this produce when she bought an excessive amount on sale; over time, the once beautiful pumpkins have turned to a pile of rotting compost. The same phenomenon is happening metaphorically to Ella’s psyche. She was once an innocent young girl, but left alone without care or attention, she is metaphorically rotting. The peaches and pumpkins are thus symbols of how Ella’s trauma is impacting her psyche.

Ella’s house is a symbol of entrapment. The place is filled with garbage, papers, bottles, rotting food, and an endless collection of useless paraphernalia. Whenever Ella comes home, she has to navigate this maze, perpetually in fear of tripping and injuring herself. The space is so cluttered that Ella can’t find anything proper to eat or wear either. These environmental details capture how immobilized Ella is by her daily life. Although she is desperate for freedom, she feels incapable of asking for help—lest anyone discover the truth of how she is living. Her suffering ensnares her in an endless loop of unpredictability, chaos, and abuse. She frees herself when she burns down the house.