The Prison
It is no surprise that young Eileen works in a prison. After all, she constantly reports feelings of being trapped in her own life and her father's home. The patriarchal authority of the prison is likened to the dominion of Eileen's abusive father in her home. Although she is not technically condemned to stay, she feels it is her duty to do so. In her role as a worker at the juvenile prison, Eileen is as condemned as any, but by her own volition.
Rebecca Saint John as foil to Eileen
Eileen finds she has much in common with Rebecca. They have a lovely time partying together. They connect as they talk, and they find that they are similar in many ways. However, it is ultimately their differences that draw Eileen to Rebecca, and in this way, Rebecca serves as a foil for Eileen. Rebecca is a director of education, but Eileen is only an employee of the institution. Rebecca has power and is not repressed by anyone. She is in authority, while Eileen lives under the repressive authority of her father.
The Polk family devil
The characters of Leonard Polk and Eileen are both abused by their fathers. While Eileen secretly wants to kill her father, Leonard Polk actualizes this urge and kills his father in reality. In this way, Leonard also functions as a foil for Eileen. Leonard murders his father in his sleep for the years of rape and emotional abuse to which his father subjected him. Eileen continues to experience the temptation of murder when Rebecca involves her in an unwise plan to get Mrs. Polk to talk to Leonard. Instead, Rebecca urges Eileen to murder Mrs. Polk to cover up their clumsy misadventure. The Polk family symbolizes Eileen's temptation to kill her father.
The non-murder
Eileen drives Mrs. Polk out into the wilderness, and then instead of killing her, she frees Mrs. Polk and leaves her, while Eileen walks and hitch-hikes to the place she always wanted to live. The decision to spare Mrs. Polk's life leads her not to prison, like Leonard, but instead to New York City, to the land she dreamed of living in. With a name change, the motif is complete; she has found a backdoor into paradise. From old age, she confesses that her decision was correct.
X-Ville
The cross in the name X-Ville is worthy of examination. The X symbolizes the question of divine judgment. Multiple characters in Eileen, including both Eileen and Leonard, take their lives into their own hands through making drastic decisions. They essentially wrest their lives from destiny, whether for better or for worse. The X in X-Ville also symbolizes the crossroads of life. The narrative of the story takes place at a key juncture in Eileen's life. Eileen found herself in a position to either execute judgment herself or escape to paradise. By sparing Mrs. Polk, she spares her own life.
Religion
Religion is mostly used as a force of control in Eileen. The prison which employs Eileen uses religion as a justification for violence and threat toward the young inmates. Eileen's father uses it as a justification for his own bigotry. In the book, religion is used to control, judge, and discriminate against others.
