Whitman's "Song of Myself" (Motif)
Janae reads Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself” at Simon’s funeral, and it is mentioned several times again. This poem is famous for the line “I am large, I contain multitudes,” the poets’ assertion that he often contradicts himself. This perhaps appealed to Simon, who was depressed yet obsessed with popularity. However, it also applies to the other four teens in the novel, who are much more than the stereotypical labels Simon applies to them suggest.
Trust and Friendship (Motif)
The character relationships form a motif of relationship and trust. The four teens attempt to understand each other, but because of the pending murder investigation, the stakes are at an ultimate high. They must determine who is trustworthy and who isn't, and their standard becomes honesty, love, and empathy. When they find those features, they tend to open up to trust. Notice that trust is not optional: the only characters who never really trust others are the two possible psychopaths, Simon and Jake.
Death (Motif)
Another important motif to mention is the unlikely combination of high school settings with a murder plot. What place does death have in a high school? In the novel at least, it shows the true stakes of relationships, not just among the friends, but in general, because as teenagers, they have already begun to emerge from their childhood innocence. They are being called forward into adulthood, and the fact of Simon's death forms a community where the standards are honesty and trust.
Hair (Symbol)
When Addy makes a break from Jake, she cuts her hair. Her hair is a symbol of femininity, and of female subservience to men. When she cuts it off, she feels free to contradict Jake. Indeed, Jake states that she doesn’t look like herself with her new hair. However, shedding her hair in fact allows her to embrace her true self.
Joshua tree (Symbol)
When Nate drives past a Joshua tree, it reminds him of his mother: it shows no growth for years until it suddenly shoots up and blooms. However, this could describe any of the four teens in the novel. After years in a metaphorical “desert,” deprived of intimacy because they are hiding secrets, the teens suddenly find each other and immediately display growth.
Allergies (Symbol
People have different sensitivities, and allergies are a physical manifestation of that, since allergies often make certain people extraordinarily sensitive to their allergens, even fatally sensitive. The body wrongfully assumes the allergen is a virus, and the auto-immune system goes off to fight a threat that isn't real—that's what allergies are. So Simon kills himself by allergy as a symbol for his willingness to violate his own sensitivities. Instead of guarding himself from harm, he causes himself harm.
The red Camero (Symbol)
The red Camaro is a metaphor for the well-known device of a “red herring.” A red herring is something that a character—or reader—is misled into thinking is important to the plot, but turns out to be not so important. In this particular novel, the bright-red Camaro is not wrongly scrutinized, but instead wrongly ignored, turning the trope on its head. It thus serves as a reminder that, in a case and in a mystery, every lead must be pursued.
