Symbol: The White Boards
The white boards for the coffin, which remain onscreen for the duration of the play, symbolize the imminence of Bartley's death.
Symbol: Water on the Bodies
The water on the bodies of Patch and Bartley is, as critic Denis Donoghue writes, "a symbol of the way by which Death comes, from the sea straight to the house, to the family."
Symbol: Spinning Wheel and Hearth
Cathleen is always involved with the spinning wheel and the hearth, which is appropriate given the fact that these two things are symbol's of women's work and the pervasiveness of gendered labor. This is notable in a play so concerned with the traditional separation by gender–Bartley is the provider, Cathleen is the baker, Michael was a provider, etc.
Symbol: Rope
The rope symbolizes Bartley's imminent death: as he fashions a halter for the horse, he is actually fashioning a halter for his own neck. That rope was always intended to lower a coffin into the grave, and now that grave will be Bartley's.
Symbol: Holy Water
The Holy Water symbolizes purification, sanctity, and traditional Catholicism. It is benevolent water, anodyne water; it stands in contrast to the powerful water of the sea.
