Privilege and suffering
The novel plays with imagery in its depiction of Else's life before and after her call to action. Before, she is sheltered by her vacation with her aunt, a friendly upbeat woman who takes her to a luxury spa hotel. Afterward, she is out in the street, making a way for herself with no insulation around her. The real world is shockingly different than what privilege might have led her to believe. The imagery of experience is emotional suffering, she realizes.
Innocence and experience
The imagery of innocence and experience is an obvious clue in this story about its meaning. The girl starts with innocence in mind, but through her own conversations with herself (the narrative is largely stream-of-consciousness), she becomes more and more enlightened into the truth of experience. The task of the novel is to save her parents from her father's foolish money mistakes, using nothing but the patriarchal salvation of Herr Von Dorsday, but she can't make it happen, because the paranoia and anxiety of daily life drives her a little bit crazy, and then she dies.
Sexuality and desire
When she has a moment to think about her desires, Else's mind often goes toward sex. She thinks about sex when she gets dressed, and when people watch her walk by, she gets the impression that sometimes, they are thinking about having sex with her, which intrigues her, because she is a teenager who is newly awakened to her sexuality, and thus, her desire for pleasure and intimacy shape her experience. She wrestles with shame in her considerations of prostitution, and then privately, she agrees that she will not shame herself for her sexuality, but neither will she profit from it. She decides to be a promiscuous girl, but not for money; just because she really likes sex.
Patriarchy and systemic injustice
The fiery personality of Else is shown fully because of the weight of patriarchy in her life. Her only resource is her father, but he wasn't responsible enough to manage their money well, and now he's gone and got himself locked up in debtors jail with a hefty debt that Else hopes beyond hope that Von Dorsday will help her pay, but again, she is dependent on a man. If she could work to earn a wage, she would, but the only path for her to earn money is to become a prostitute, and she won't do that. The system is rigged against women.
