The Cruise-Control Check (Motif) - "Ashes"
In "Ashes," Chris and his mother drive Chris's father's car to the lake to spread his ashes. Chris's father's car has a feature Kennedy describes as "some kind of cruise-control check," and whenever Chris exceeds the set speed, the sensor beeps. The beeping startles Chris every time, and Kennedy later writes that the beep is "like his father nudging him in the ribs, wordless and critical" (27) in moments to remind Chris to hold his tongue and be patient with his mother. This description sets up the beeping as a motif—it creates a rhythm for the mounting and checking of Chris's bottled tension.
The Glitter Stars (Symbol) - "Like a House on Fire"
"Like a House on Fire" concludes with the image of ground-up glitter stars in the carpet. The narrator and his wife Claire are lying on the floor, the narrator points out the glitter stars, and Claire remarks on them as if they were real stars. Kennedy expertly creates this scene of artificial star-gazing that gestures back to the artificial woods in the supermarket parking lot full of Christmas trees. The stars symbolize the manufactured reality of suburbia; they are also a vehicle for this tender moment in which Claire invites the narrator to shrug off his perfectionism and enjoy the moment.
The Bathtub (Symbol) - "Laminex and Mirrors"
As a punishment for "fraternizing" with Mr. Moreton, the narrator of "Laminex and Mirrors" is forced to scrub the bathtub in the abandoned Menzies ward. While this task seems totally futile (and is meant to be) because the Menzies ward is set to be demolished the following week, the task turns out to be essential to providing Mr. Moreton a life-affirming experience, i.e. taking a hot bath and smoking a cigarette. The clean tub in the abandoned ward demonstrates the element of absurdism that emphasizes finding meaning in the absurd. It is absurd to clean a tub that is unused and about to be destroyed, but the narrator finds a purpose for it.
Colostrum (Symbol) - "Five-Dollar Family"
Colostrum features heavily in "Five-Dollar Family" and symbolizes the connection between mother and child. Colostrum is also likened to the feeling captured in the family portrait at the end of the story: "the feeling sealed," Kennedy writes, "like evidence; a feeling that appears out of nowhere, thick and sweet and full of mysterious antibodies" (111).
Redgum Sleepers (Symbol) - "Sleepers"
The sleepers symbolize the power struggle between the town and the corporate interlopers tearing up the tracks, widening the roads, and making way for office parks, strip malls, and more housing. Meanwhile, much of the town is unemployed, and the developers haven't brought any jobs to the town. The developer plans to sell the sleepers instead of offering the townspeople the opportunity to take the sleepers for firewood or landscaping. The town feels entitled to the sleepers, but the company feels entitled to sell them.
