The Nurse's Secret
67 pages • 2-hour read
Amanda SkenandoreThe Nurse's Secret
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Symbols & Motifs
The Nurse’s Uniform
The nurse’s uniform is a motif that embodies multiple themes: The Performance of Social Class and Identity and The Intersection of Deception and Identity. Initially, the uniform is merely Una’s most strategic disguise, a costume she adopts to hide from the law under the cloak of respectability. For a grifter skilled at altering her appearance at a moment’s notice, shifting from a “well-heeled traveler to gnarled rag-picker” (11) as needed, the uniform is just another tool for survival. It represents the performance of social class, allowing a woman from the slums to pass within a structured, reputable institution. In this context, the uniform is an instrument of deception, representing a carefully constructed lie that allows her to submerge her criminal past beneath a veneer of moral and professional legitimacy. However, the uniform’s symbolic meaning evolves as Una becomes immersed in her duties at Bellevue. The very act of wearing it and performing the role of a caregiver begins to reshape her internal values. The responsibilities the uniform confers—compassion, discipline, and duty to others—gradually transform her. What begins as a ruse for self-preservation becomes the catalyst for her authentic self to emerge. The uniform’s journey from a deceptive costume to a symbol of a genuinely earned identity rooted in skill and empathy perfectly illustrates the novel’s argument that an authentic self is not innate but forged through action and commitment, blurring the line between deception and authenticity.
Watches
As an item that is stolen on multiple occasions through the narrative, watches are a symbol of the upper class. In the opening scene, after Una succeeds in pickpocketing a cigarette case from an unsuspecting Midwesterner, she observes a young thief slide his hand into a wealthy man’s pocket and emerge “clasping a gold watch. It was probably worth a hundred dollars” (5). The act of thievery itself establishes the boundaries between class, but the immense value of the watch heightens the disparity between Una and the boy and the wealthy elite of New York City. A piece of jewelry relegated to the man’s pocket is worth more than Una can make in a month. Ultimately, the watch represents the upper echelon of society. Later, the theft of the timepiece resurfaces when Una steals Dr. Pingry’s watch after he unfairly grades her examination. Later, Una studies it and notes, “It wasn’t a particularly fine watch, more utilitarian than ornate” (128). Despite these details, the timepiece still embodies the world of Dr. Pingry, one that seems inaccessible to Una unless she acts her way into it. When Mrs. Buchanan discovers the stolen item in the depths of Una’s trunk, Una is expelled from nursing school and from access to this world of finery. As a result, watches symbolize the upper class, specifically barriers centered on socioeconomic status.
Eagles
Eagles and their nest in Central Park represent hope for the future. When Una and Edwin meet outside the hospital for the first time, they skate in New York City’s famed park, and he shows her an eagle’s nest. Una admires the grandeur of it, calling it a “wonder” and finding that “[h]er eyes were suddenly misty and her throat thick” (173). Her visceral response to the sight indicates an overflow of raw emotion. This, combined with her admission that she has never seen anything like it within the city, implies that there is hope for something seemingly impossible. Edwin also notes that bald eagles were not always so rare and that the pair that nests here has mated for life and return every spring. These details, along with Una’s wonder, add to the anticipation of something good to come, for it is a given that once the dreariness of winter ends, the birds will return.
The symbolism of the eagles is reinforced later after Una has helped solve the strangulation murders and she sits with Edwin reflecting on all that has happened. At this point, Edwin knows the truth of her past. As they see “[a] large, dark bird with a spray of white tail feathers [swoop] down over the water” (351), an eagle, Edwin suggests they visit the nest again now that the eagles have returned to Central Park. Despite all that has happened, specifically everyone at Bellevue knowing about Una’s deception, Edwin’s comment hints that they may have a future together after all. Because his words are linked to the return of the eagle, the bird represents hope and optimism for what is to come. In fact, moments later, Una and Edwin agree to “a new beginning” (352), something that social barriers typically prevent. Based on the presence of the eagles and their nest at key moments in the couple’s relationship, it is clear that these birds represent hope.
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