Silence
Marina's silence symbolizes the defense shield which she uses to save herself from the enquiries of others. When she was asked about the acid attack, she remains silent and doesn't communicate with anyone. Her defense shield provides her a privilege of knowing about others without expressing anything about herself. She was so much disturbed because of her past experiences so she doesn't want to talk about them. She was detached from her the people around her and she doesn't trust anyone so her silence assists her in all matters.
Journal
The journal which Marina keeps on the suggestion of her English teacher symbolizes the medium which helps Marina in her catharsis. She was afraid of giving vent to her emotions but the journal helps her in moving forward in her life. When she starts keeping the journal, she says, “it would stay a cold and empty book, with no secrets.” But after sometime she states the darkest secrets of her life in the diary. She shares her emotions and feelings in the diary and her diary introduces her to the reader. She writes about her family, her favorite teacher, his family and her class fellows in the diary. Through her diary, the reader gets to know that she was an introvert and a very minute observer. She used to observe her class fellows without their knowledge and she was aware of everything. She knew about the kind and unkind behavior of people towards her.
Family
The most frequently recurring motif in the book is family. Marina comes from a family where there was no bond between her father and mother. Her father was an abusive husband and Marina hates him for everything. While residing in the boarding school, she tries to find about the families of other students through observing them. She remains detached from her boarding school family but he English teacher plays the part of a real mentor and assists her in overcoming her fears. He takes Marina to his home and there Marina realizes that not all families are broken like her family. The bond which Mr. Lindell shares with his family was amazing. She becomes so much impressed and reunites with her family. It is strange that she was mute during the time in school and she didn't speak to anyone not even with her teacher. She only speaks with her father after she goes to meet him.
Sympathy
Marina's class fellows were sympathetic towards her. They don't make her feel embarrassed because of the scar on her face. They shows kindness and urge her to trust them. Although Marina hesitates in trusting others but her gestures were evocative of their selfless connections. She observes them and says, “I wonder if they realize how much I notice about them. They probably haven't a clue because I never look at them or show the slightest interest. But I'm very aware of everything.” The caring nature of her class fellows eventually compel her to make bond with them and she admits “We’re all so curiously alone, but it’s important to keep making signals through the glass.”
