The Moffats

Throughout the novel, the “For Sale” sign on the yellow house represents the family’s financial insecurity. As a widow, Mrs. Moffat is the sole provider for her and her children and can’t afford to buy a home. This leads them to rent the yellow house from Dr. Witty, and while they love the home, their position as renters puts them in a precarious position when Dr. Witty decides to sell the house.

The children’s reactions to the “For Sale” sign capture their inner feelings about their family’s predicament. By highlighting the anger and resentment they feel toward the sign, the author conveys how the family’s financial situation negatively affects them, thematically linking to The Impact of Financial Insecurity on Family Life. For instance, Jane hates the sign so much she wants to take it down, as it’s a reminder of how their lives could change at any moment. She and her siblings try to follow their mother’s advice and go about their daily lives without thinking about the sign and the sale: “So Janey and Rufus and all the other Moffats set about forgetting the sign on the yellow house. At first [it’s] hard though, because every time they [come] in and every time they [go] out, there it [is]: FOR SALE INQUIRE OF DR. WITTY 101 ELM STREET” (15).

Over the many months the sign is on the house, Jane’s negative feelings linger: She “just [hates] the sight of that old weather-beaten sign—For Sale!” (171). Eventually, Jane can’t hold in her anger and has a dramatic outburst: “Janey [feels] she simply [cannot] abide the sight of that For Sale sign anymore, and in a burst of temper [picks] up great chunks of mud and [throws] them with splendid aim right at it” (172). By repeatedly referring to the “For Sale” sign and the effect it has on the family, the author weaves its symbolism into the bigger picture of their move out of the yellow house.