The Tiger (Allegory)
The almost magical and unexplained presence of the tiger in "Bestiary" serves as an allegory for the Damoclean threats, tensions, and fears that dictate people's lives. The tiger literally determines which rooms and parts of the property the Funes family is able to traverse, and its presence parallels that of the Kid, who strikes fear and repressed hatred in the hearts of Rema and Nino.
The Ant Farm (Symbol)
Isabel and Nino's ant farm symbolizes the feeling of confinement and imprisonment felt by Rema and Nino on the estate, and more broadly, by people everywhere who feel hemmed in by their circumstances and feel that their lives have been reduced to a Sisyphean effort to survive each passing day. Isabel draws a parallel between the ants and the Funes family by at first envying the ants for not having to fear any roving tiger, but on second thought feeling horrified by the ants' neverending and futile effort to escape their circumstances.
Nothing Strange (Motif)
In "Axolotl," the narrator repeats throughout that there is "nothing strange" about his sudden transformation from man to amphibian. He insists that there is nothing strange about it, because there is such an obvious link, according to him, an immediate connection, between himself and the axolotls. The pronouncement serves to give shape to the almost monologic way in which the story ruminates on what it means and must mean to be an axolotl. The motif resolves when the narrator concedes that "only one thing was strange" (8), which is that after his transformation, he continues to think like a man.
Camera and Typewriter (Symbol)
In "Blow-Up," Michel discusses his use of a typewriter to write stories, and he likens it to his use of a camera to try and capture, communicate, and preserve an image. He says, "Seated ready to tell it, if one might go to drink a bock over there, and the typewriter continue by itself ..., that would be perfection. And that's not just a manner of speaking. Perfection, yes, because here is the aperture which must be counted also as a machine ... and it is possible that one machine may know more about another machine than I, you, she—the blond—and the clouds" (114-115). The camera and typewriter represent the longing to communicate these stories and images trapped inside the storyteller's mind; Cortázar seems to suggest that the machines have the capacity to capture the image or story perfectly, and any shortcoming must be the result of human error, a failure on the part of the storyteller to extract truth from the air, or from memory.
Mother's Jewels (Symbol)
In "End of the Game," Letitia sneaks her mother and aunt's jewels out of the house and out to the train tracks, and this transgression makes the narrator and her cousin Holanda extremely uncomfortable. The narrator is certain that her mother would kill them if she found out. But Letitia isn't scared; she's determined to adorn herself in their most valuable jewels for Ariel. The jewels, alongside Letitia's fearlessness, symbolize the exceptions afforded to Letitia in the eyes of their parents due to her condition. They also demonstrate that she's using all the resources at her disposal to try and court this boy, who now knows about her condition. His absence the following day shows that despite Letitia's efforts, he still rejects her.
