Butterflies (Symbol)
The butterflies symbolize many themes and values for a multitude of characters in the novel. Their symbolic meaning changes over the course of the narrative and they come to represent both good fortune and tragedy. To Dellarobia, they initially symbolize her decision to return to her family and remain faithful. They are a beautiful symbol. However, after Ovid arrives, he explains that the butterflies are actually a sign of climate change. Their meaning takes on a more sinister tone—they may appear beautiful but are actually a symbol of natural disaster and the onset of disastrous shifts in our ecosystem as a result of global warming.
Mexico's flood (Allegory)
The flood in Mexico that first forced the butterflies from their home serves as an allegory for the larger effects that climate change will have on our world. The flood displaces the butterflies and Josefina's family, which emphasizes how the repercussions of climate change will affect animals, insects, and people alike. Everyone will feel the effects of global warming, no matter where they are.
Fidelity (Motif)
Dellarobia's struggle with her desire to have an affair continues throughout the novel, even after she originally decides not to meet Jimmy. She develops feelings for Ovid and repeatedly fixates on the guilt she feels as a result of her frustration with her own marriage. Dellarobia finds herself unable to stop thinking about other men, even though she feels ashamed over this fact and wants to be able to just be content with Cub.
Hester's child (Allegory)
When Hester tells Dellarobia about the first child she had—a son conceived outside of her relationship with Bear and whom she had to give up in order to preserve her public appearance as a righteous woman—it makes Dellarobia realize that she isn't the only one who has made mistakes or felt dissatisfaction in her relationship. Hester, who seems perfect, is not; Dellarobia, after hearing Hester's story, realizes that she doesn't have to be either and that she wants to leave Cub. She does the opposite of what Hester did by refusing to stay with Cub because she doesn't want to end up like Hester— stuck in a marriage that may not have been right in the first place.
The Smartphone (Symbol)
When Dellarobia manages to buy a smartphone at the end of the novel, she gives it to Preston so that he can use it to search the internet and learn more about the world. The phone is a symbol of her new life, where she can embrace her intellectual passions and pass them on to Preston. She wants to support Preston's curiosity in a way that Cub never did. Leaving Cub allows her to buy the smartphone and become the mother she wants to be.
Smoking (Motif)
Dellarobia fails to quit smoking, a habit that she does in secret. Smoking comes to symbolize a form of resistance for Dellarobia—an act that she can do in private, that is no one else's but her own. Simultaneously, smoking is a habit that demonstrates Dellarobia's lack of agency and just how desperate she is. To gain privacy, she has to engage in a habit that she knows is bad for her health.
