The Lamb

The Greco-Roman figure of Saturn is an important symbol in the novel, representing the cannibalistic parent who devours their offspring. In Ruth’s telling, Saturn or Father Time devoured his only son, one bite at a time. Ruth’s recounting of the myth is a symbol of her own desire to consume her daughter, Margot. However, Ruth’s telling of the myth is incomplete. In the original myth, Saturn (equivalent of the Greek Kronos/ Cronus) fears he will be supplanted by his children. To prevent this fate, he swallows his sons and daughters as soon as they are born. However, Jupiter (Zeus) is hidden from Saturn by his mother. Jupiter grows up to overthrow his father. In some versions, Zeus makes Kronos disgorge his siblings, including Hades (Pluto), Poseidon (Neptune), and Hera (Juno).

Ruth’s distortion of the myth is an attempt to twist a narrative to her benefit. Ironically, her distortion shows she will suffer a similar fate to Saturn. While Saturn was exiled by Zeus, Ruth will die after she kills Margot. Even in death, Margot will take down the old, brittle order Ruth represents. Margot and Jupiter’s triumph symbolizes the new order defeating ancient power structures.

The severed fingers of the strays recur throughout the text, functioning as both symbol and motif. As a motif, they illustrate The Problem of Parental Domination and The Importance of Breaking the Cycle of Abuse and Violence. The fingers are tied in with Ruth’s violence, as they show how Ruth takes apart a human being and reduces them to body parts. At the same time, Margot’s attachment to the fingers indicates she is uncomfortable with the dehumanization, and will break the cycle of violence. 

In a late sequence in the novel, Margot dreams of the severed fingers trailing up to her, both warning her of her own fate, and also demanding justice. The fingers are tied in with the dynamics between Ruth and Margot, as Margot is frequently served the lean body parts instead of the meatier cuts, which marks her as a lesser member of the household.

As a symbol, the fingers represent the accusing finger, and thus, a symbol of Margot’s guilt. The severed fingers of the strays, often visualized with intact nails, such as those of the girl with the purple nail polish, point to Margot, reminding her not to forget them. The severed finger may also be a symbol of Margot’s repressed memory about her father’s killing. Margot dreams of Ruth taking her father’s finger with the wedding ring and snapping it off to nibble at it. This indicates that though Margot does not remember it outright, she senses Ruth killed Margot’s father and prepared him in a meal.