Marriage
Marriage is a recurring motif in the play. It is the constraint that holds Loureen and Florence in place, the thing from which they want to break free. While marriage is typically associated with love and union, in this play it is a loveless thing that perpetuates cycles of dominance and isolation.
Dinner
The subject of dinner is what constantly brings both women back to the subject of their families. Loureen and Samuel's argument happens in the kitchen, then Samuel is turned to ash. Florence has to return to her apartment to have dinner with her kids and husband. The act of making dinner is the literal embodiment of their servitude; they always have to be tending to others, always feeding and doting and taking care but never doing anything for themselves.
Ash
All of Samuel's meager existence is destroyed when he is turned to ash. The ash calls back to the Bible, in which ash represents our sorrow for our sins. It evokes Ash Wednesday, a Christian holy day of penitence, where people are meant to reconcile with God for their sins and consider their mortality. Samuel has many sins, as we know, for which he has yet to repent.
Religion
Religion is another recurring motif in the play. Samuel's death has resonances with an act of God and Loureen imagines herself a saint. Biblical parallels run throughout the play as Samuel's death is literally caused by a deus ex machina.
Memories
Even in an abusive relationship, there are good memories. Loureen's joy in the wake of Samuel's death is similar to the joy she felt when they were young and in love; similarly, looking at a photo from their wedding, she sees how happy she was. The motif of memory serves to complicate our understanding of these kinds of relationships—a significant part of what's difficult is that it's not all bad, and those few good parts, even if they were in the past, can be enough to make someone stay longer than they should.
