The friendship bracelet that Stella gives Emma is a symbol of the enduring power of friendship. When the friendship bracelet is introduced, Stella remembers how Hannah—her best friend in Hong Kong—gave it to her to remind her that “[n]either time nor distance will break [their] bond” (5). The bracelet is a circle made of interwoven threads and is meant to be worn at all times. These characteristics represent the nature of friendship itself. Like a circle, friendship never ends. Friendship is woven together through many separate threads of mutual experience and ends up weaving itself throughout people’s lives. Friendship is a steady presence, like a bracelet that is not meant to be taken off.

When Stella gives the bracelet to Emma, it’s a symbol of her intention to be this kind of a friend to Emma. When Mrs. Moon—the elderly Emma—returns the bracelet to Stella, Stella realizes that Emma has cherished the bracelet for nearly 100 years. She and Emma have, indeed, formed a friendship that “[n]either time nor distance” can break. The bracelet supports the novel’s theme of Friendship Across Time and Social Divides by showing how Stella and Emma are connected by friendship despite the differences in their time periods, cultures, and social standing.

The recurring appearance of the moles functions as a symbol of the mysterious, unseen forces of nature that govern the connection between past and present. They are not ordinary animals but mystical gatekeepers whose ritualistic dance signals that the time tunnel is open. Their presence establishes the story’s internal logic: Access to the past is not random but is granted by a secret, natural power. This connects directly to the theme of The Interconnectedness of Past and Present, suggesting that a fundamental, albeit magical, law underpins the link between the two eras. Jack explains their significance, recounting his father’s first encounter where he saw “these moles scuttling in a circle” (34). This memory establishes the moles as a special phenomenon known only to a select few. The children learn that the moles appear only for the chosen few, suggesting that only those with a certain innocence, curiosity, or connection to the garden’s history are permitted to witness their magic and travel through time. The moles thus serve as a catalyst for the adventure and a symbol of the deep, often incomprehensible, forces that bind history together.