48 pages • 1-hour read
When Life Gives You Lululemons
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Symbols & Motifs
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes sexual content and addiction.
Greenwich, Connecticut
The Greenwich, Connecticut, setting is a symbol of Privilege and Hypocrisy in Suburban Elite Culture. Located in Fairfield County, the town is defined by its wealthy community, palatial homes, and close proximity to New York City. On its surface, the place seems idyllic, quiet, and welcoming. However, the longer the main characters—Emily Charlton, Miriam Kagan, and Karolina Hartwell—are there, the more dubious the culture and people seem. Although everyone is vocal about their disdain for Karolina after her arrest, Emily insists that the county has “more functioning alcoholics per square foot than anywhere in the world except maybe Moscow” (259). The community also poses as liberal, but the characters discover through their research, many people “secretly vote Republican” (259). Some of the citizens may be generous and hospitable, but Emily, Miriam, and Karolina quickly learn that few Greenwich inhabitants will do anything that “goes against their own financial interests” (260).
These hypocritical behaviors underscore the exclusive nature of affluent suburban communities like Greenwich. The author embraces satire, hyperbole, and humor throughout the novel to underscore how wealth can breed inauthenticity. Nearly every woman in the town believes her husband is cheating on her. Almost all the women wear matching Lululemon leggings and have had similar rounds of plastic surgery. These aspects of the culture underscore the dangers of privilege without awareness. Because they have money, the Greenwich residents can manipulate their bodies, homes, and families to look they want without ever having to interrogate their hearts. Throughout the novel, Emily, Miriam, and Karolina find themselves both poking fun at and actively interrogating this elite culture in an attempt to find belonging amidst it.
New York City
New York City is a symbol of vibrancy, success, and authenticity. All three of the main characters started their young adult lives and their successful careers in this location. They all find themselves in Greenwich in the narrative present, but they constantly long for the urban metropolis they left behind. Emily worked at Runway under Miranda Priestley while there and found the lifestyle exhilarating and life-giving. Miriam worked as a high-powered lawyer and loved how consuming her work and the city’s energy could be. Karolina moved there to pursue a career in modeling, which launched her to international fame. The city gave the women their starts, taught them about themselves, and helped them see their own power and possibility. Their nostalgia for the place in the present captures How Age Changes Ideals and Outlook, while enriching each of the primary characters’ backstories.
Sex Canvas
The sex canvas Miriam buys for her and Paul is a symbol of insecurity and fear. Miriam starts comparing herself, her husband, her marriage, and her sex life to her new neighbors’ when she attends the party at Claire’s house in Chapter 11. She starts to fear that Paul’s seeming disinterest in her of late is a sign of his infidelity, and worse, of her undesirability. She purchases the canvas in hopes that she might revive their old attraction and convince Paul that she is worthy of his attention.
While meant to add narrative levity, the canvas also represents gender and social stereotypes about sex and aging. Because Miriam is growing older and has gained some weight, she feels responsible for “ruining” her marriage and sex life. The canvas is the only way she knows to correct her failings. Ultimately, the canvas does nothing to change Miriam’s marriage or to reinstate her self-confidence. Paul falls asleep before he even sees it. In this way, the canvas appears flimsy and worthless—a needless insecurity Miriam should discard.
Vasectomy
Graham Hartwell’s vasectomy is a symbol of betrayal. Throughout Karolina’s 10-year marriage to Graham, she has tried to get pregnant without success. She and Graham took fertility tests, which indicated that Graham’s sperm was healthy, and Karolina must be the problem. Karolina did countless rounds of IVF, also to no avail. When Graham leaves her for Regan Whitney, she starts to wonder if her infertility caused the end of their marriage, but news of Graham’s vasectomy alters this impression. Via this discovery, Karolina begins to understand the depth of her husband’s insincerity, deception, and disloyalty. The vasectomy exposes his truly duplicitous nature and helps her move beyond this toxic relationship.
Emily’s Pregnancy
Emily’s pregnancy symbolizes hope, change, and the future. Emily has never felt interested in having children. However, she has never told this to her husband Miles because she hasn’t wanted him to “think she was a heartless bitch devoid of all maternal instincts” (209). She does appreciate children’s cuteness, smell, and clothing, but she has been resistant to the idea of sacrificing “her life and career” to become a mother (210). Her unplanned pregnancy challenges her to interrogate these feelings anew. She quickly realizes that her past aversion to motherhood may have been related to her youth. By the novel’s end, she embraces this surprising gift and finds a new path for herself.
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