Alma (Symbol)
Emblematically, Alma represents both direction and betrayal. To start with, Alma's father dies while she is young, and she takes the responsibility of providing leadership for the family. Alma gives her mother support, and she helps make vital decisions that lead to her family's success. On the other hand, Alma symbolizes betrayal. Alma leaves for the USA while having the pregnancy of Leo. Once she gets to America, Alma betrays Leo by getting married to another man and getting a child.
Leo as a symbol of love
In 'The Story of Love,' Leo is symbolized by the heart, which is a sign of life and eternal love. From the start of the story, Leo says that he wants to die, and he gives instructions on how to handle his grave. Therefore, Leo is waiting for his heart to stop beating to move to the other world. Similarly, Leo is a symbol of love because his love for Alma is immeasurable. For instance, Leo says, "Once upon a time, there was a boy who loved a girl, and her laughter was a question, he wanted to spend his whole life answering." Leo's statement reflects his eternal love for Alma.
Bird as a symbol
Bird symbolically represents a ship that takes people to their destinations. The boat in this story is linked to Noah's ship that saved humankind from God's anger. Leo also recalls that Bird connected him to Alma, which was the source of his happiness. The author writes, "The next week Bird started to write the four Hebrew letters of the name no one is allowed to pronounce, and no one is allowed to throw away on the pages of his homework."
Zvi Litvinoff (symbol of open book)
The book ‘History of Love’ is plagiarized by the narrator (Zvi). Zvi’s plagiarized work is discovered by Alma Singer, who also realizes that Zvi’s wife covers up the scandal. Zvi knew very well the book’s words are not his because he directly borrowed them from someone who is no longer alive. The author writes, “They were words he knew by heart… since that night, all those years ago, when he had watched his friend, praying for him not to die. He had said them so many times… that sometimes he forgot that the words were not his."
Mrs. Freid’s death
Mrs. Freid’s death symbolizes the need to check on each other regularly. More often than not, people assume that their friends are okay even without hearing from them. When Leo realized that Mrs. Freid had died in her house, and nobody knew for three days, Leo promised himself that he should check on Bruno regularly. Leo says, “After Mrs. Freid on the fourth floor died, and it took three days before anyone found her, Bruno and I got into the habit of checking on each other.”
