The Train (Symbol)
In "The Five-Forty-Eight," the commuter train is a symbol of socioeconomic stability and emotional comfort. The train was a necessity of the suburban commuter lifestyle in this period of American history, in which men commuted to work in Manhattan every day. This lifestyle involves property ownership in the suburbs and a well-paying job in Manhattan. The train represents this entire perspective from which Cheever writes. More specifically, the train represents comfort to Blake. Walking fearfully through the streets of Manhattan, he feels that if he can just get on the train, he will be safe. The very fact of the train's normalcy—its quotidian nature—soothes Blake.
The Shop Window (Symbol)
On Blake's walk to the train station at the end of his day at the office, he stops and looks into a shop window where a decorator or auctioneer has set up an empty living room for display. Blake notices a coffee table, cups, magazines, and flowers. Yet he also observes that "the flowers were dead and the cups were empty and the guests had not come." There was no real social gathering or happy life taking place; the room is simply a facade. This shop window is a metaphor for Blake's life, which appears full and rich to someone like Miss Dent, but in actuality is as empty and illusory as the display living room.
