The bicycle (symbol)
In the beginning of the film, we recognize the bicycle as the key to Antonio’s employment, as the billposter position requires it for transport around Rome. However, as the film progresses, the bike comes to represent so much more than the potential for labor—it symbolizes hope and social mobility. The possession of the bicycle will help diminish Antonio and Maria’s social and economic disadvantages and thereby enable upward mobility, and Antonio and Maria’s desperation to retrieve the bike from the pawn shop proves their understanding of the bike's literal and symbolic significance. When Antonio and Maria sacrifice their sheets and reattain the bike, they are finally imbued with hope, overjoyed at a chance for a better life. The bicycle’s embodiment of hope is even suggested with its brand name, “Fides,” which means faith in Italian.
Shutters (motif)
Shutters recur throughout the film, and they often take on a multitude of meanings and contexts. Maria peers into the locker rooms where Antonio is employed, only to have the shutters rudely closed on her, illustrating the exclusion of women in the workforce. We also watch Bruno close the shutters in the bedroom so his infant sibling stays warm and protected from the outside world, an action which represents Bruno’s paternal instincts. Finally, we see Antonio and a police officer searching the young thief’s apartment. As the camera tracks right, a woman closes her shutters when the police officer is framed within the window, demonstrating a distrust toward law enforcement and local authority. While these symbolic meanings of shutters may seem disparate, they each reflect a tension between the inside and outside world, with marginalized, poor sectors of society feeling excluded and unacknowledged by authoritative presences like the police and employment offices.
The Rita Hayworth poster (symbol)
The poster of a sultry Rita Hayworth, which Antonio glues up on his first day of work, symbolizes the contrast between the luxurious lifestyle of the Hollywood elite and the harrowing, bleak poverty ubiquitous in postwar Europe. Hollywood and its stars are a fantasy disconnected from “real” people like Antonio, which becomes apparent when Antonio's coworker tells him to flatten out creases in the poster. Rita Hayworth’s face cannot look flawed under any circumstance; it must remain a glossy illusion of aesthetic perfection, unlike Antonio and other members of the working class, who don’t have resources like Hollywood lighting and makeup to hinder their gaunt, flawed appearances. Due to less-than-ideal economic conditions, Antonio will never become a Rita Hayworth-esque Hollywood icon, and his face—with its sharp cheekbones and wrinkles—signify the sacrifices he’s made to merely survive in post-WWII Italy.
Crowds (motif)
Crowds are a consistent threat to Antonio’s self-worth, dignity, and individuality in Bicycle Thieves; they cast a particularly menacing presence in Part 5 of the film. The crowd consisting of the thief’s neighbors thwarts Antonio’s capturing of the thief, and the mob nearly attacks Antonio for supposedly provoking the thief’s seizure. Later, a crowd captures Antonio when he attempts to steal a bicycle, slapping and degrading him in the process. The crowds are comprised of of men wishing to unite against one powerless person, so they can feel more dominant themselves. The men are apathetic about Antonio’s problems, whose individuality disappears when confronting these groups. The losses Antonio suffers when he’s outnumbered in a collective reflects one of the film’s overarching themes—a man cannot individually combat the larger forces of society.
Antonio's cap
Antonio’s cap represents his pride and dignity, which fluctuates throughout the film. After receiving his job assignment, Antonio asks Maria to tighten the strap on his cap. Here, the cap is directly tied the apex of Antonio’s pride and dignity—newly employed, he is overjoyed at the chance of increasing his social status, and he wants to showcase his pride by appearing professional and prepared for work. When Antonio attempts to steal someone else’s bicycle, though, the bicycle owner confronts Antonio and slaps his cap off him, symbolizing his sunken dignity and abandonment of his moral values. However, Bruno hands Antonio back his cap as an earnest gesture of respect, illustrating that Antonio, despite his fallen dignity and shameful actions, is still a human being worthy of forgiveness for his sins.
