Bathroom - “Next Door”
The narrator observes, "He leans against the fence with one hand and then with the other he goes to the bathroom on the flowers. He walks the length of the fence like that, not missing any of them. When he's through he gives Florida a shake, then zips up and heads back across the driveway. He almost slips on the gravel but he catches himself and curses and goes into the house, slamming the door again." The male neighbor's cursing is emblematic of his current turmoil. His act of relieving himself on the flowers depicts him as an irresponsible man. If he were responsible he would go a toilet.
Chalk - “Hunters in the Snow”
Wolff elucidates, “They left Spokane and drove deep into the country, running along black lines of fences. The snow let up, but still there was no edge to the land where it met the sky. Nothing moved in the chalky fields. The cold bleached their faces and made the stubble stand out on their cheeks and along their upper lips.” The chalk is symbolic of the omnipresent snow which covers the fields. With the pervasive snow, it would be impossible to walk on the earth. Evidently, the snow has formed a layer on top of the earth.
