Old Times Symbols, Allegory and Motifs

Old Times Symbols, Allegory and Motifs

Cold Coffee

Anna and Deeley are talking about enjoying piping hot coffee that is being prepared. Kate then has a sip and the coffee is cold. It is a symbol that these characters are existing in different realities apart from one another.

Shining Light

At the end of the play, the stage lights shine out as bright as they can on the three characters. This is a symbol that this is a moment that must stand out apart from the rest of the play. That light is being shed, potentially for the first time in the story, on a true moment in reality.

Odd Man Out

The film is mentioned in the play as a definite moment that impacted Deeley. It was also the day he met Kate. The film becomes a symbol, a marker for a moment that was true for Deeley.

Clean Sheet

Kate speaks about how Anna was dead lying in the bed in Kate's home. She was covered with a clean sheet. The sheet is a symbol of death washing away all of the filth in the world.

Dirt

Anna has died and Kate says that there is dirt smeared all on her face. The dirt is a symbol of Kate's perception of Anna as being dirty, that Anna's body has dirt on it represents some sin perceived by Kate upon her life.

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