The knife (symbol)
Laurel remembers that they used to have a knife with a red ribbon, and this knife they used only for cutting cakes. The image of the knife is set in Laurel’s memory even years after and she always thought of it as of a symbol of their family peace and birthdays, as only on birthdays the mother took it out of the drawer. But the awful event happened – Dorothy used the knife to kill a man, and Laurel never saw it again. Only years after, when she finds out all the truth, Laurel still thinks of the knife and the image of it as a symbol is back, because her mother with this knife saved their family, saved peace in it and destroyed the only obstacle that might ruin their happiness.
Medallion (symbol)
As long as Laurel remembers, her mother always was wearing a medallion with their photos in it. The photos of her children were always with Dorothy as these people were the most important ones in her life. When Dorothy dies her children think that the medallion should be buried with her, and everyone agrees. Laurel took it for the last time and found that behind of her photo and of her sisters and brother some other photos were hidden. These were the photos of Vivien’s family, her own brothers and sisters. This medallion was the only thing in the world which kept images of Vivien’s closest people before she became Dorothy and after. It becomes a symbol of her dual life.
Survival (motif)
All her life, Vivien was losing the people she loved and living on. As a little girl, she lost all her family to a car accident, and she lived on. Having married a horrible man, who would beat her severely, compromised her desire to live, but due to some lucky circumstances she still survived. She survived through all her life. Laurel even says once “My mother was a survivor; she’s a survivor still. If I’ve inherited half her courage, I can count myself a very lucky woman.”
