45 pages • 1-hour read
Too Bright to See
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Symbols & Motifs
Ghosts
Ghosts in fiction are often metaphors that reflect broader themes. In Too Bright to See, Roderick’s ghost represents a mentor figure and serves as a guide for Bug as he grows up. The ghost helps Bug discover his transgender identity and navigate through The Grieving Process. While Bug is devastated by his uncle’s death, he is comforted by the realization that Roderick is trying to send him a message; in a way, their relationship can continue even though Roderick is dead.
Bug is not afraid of ghosts, and his belief in ghosts is one that he and Roderick shared. The two used to bond over scary stories and talk about the ghosts that haunt their old house. In many ways, Bug is prepared for his uncle to come back as a spirit, which helps him easily accept the fact that his uncle is haunting him. He is already comfortable with the idea of ghosts and does not think of them as scary or malevolent, though his uncle’s ghost does frighten him on occasion.
Makeup and Clothing
Makeup and clothing are deeply connected to Bug’s feelings of discomfort. Bug’s experiences with both demonstrate how difficult it is for him to feel like a girl. When Moira begins to care about makeup, clothes, and nail polish, the differences between her and Bug come into sharp focus. Both children are on a journey of self-discovery, but their journeys are not the same. Although Bug later states that “[b]oys can wear makeup. And nail polish” (143), these things are sources of pain while he is still unsure of his identity. They make him seem more like a girl to those around him, and pull him away from how he is comfortable presenting himself.
Although it takes Bug some time to figure out why he is so uncomfortable with the idea of wearing makeup, his discomfort with makeup and clothing foreshadow his realization that he is a boy.
Books and Narration
Bug narrates his actions so that he can distance himself from reality and better parse his experiences. He detaches from his true identity as a boy through abstraction and thinks of himself as a girl in a book. This distance between his real identity as a boy and his imagined identity gives him the space he needs to be himself, even when he does not yet understand who he really is.
Books are also something that Bug shared with his uncle Roderick: Both of them loved to read, and Roderick read to Bug at night before bed. When Bug narrates his life, he is able to escape into a world where his uncle is not dead and where he understands who he is as easily as he would if he was reading a book.
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