Flower Cannon
When Michael meets Flower Cannon, he becomes transfixed by her name, believing it to be the "name of the world." This is because her name is an oxymoron, symbolizing the good and bad simultaneously. As such, Flower's name symbolizes life itself, with all the joy and destruction it can bring.
Numbness
Numbness is a key motif of the text, and is experienced often by Michael Reed. Even before the life-changing accident which killed his wife and daughter, Michael felt a sense of numbness about is career and purpose, which is then compounded by the traumatic event.
Celebrations
When Michael sees a group of college students celebrating, he feels that they should not be joyful due to the things he has experienced in his life. This provokes Michael to become angry and violent, representing his unhappiness after the death of his wife and child.
