Norma's mansion (symbol)
Norma’s dilapidated mansion represents the interior of Norma herself: old, aging, crumbling in capacity, and above all else, lonely and abandoned. The estate appears so mausoleum-esque that Joe assumes it is vacant when he arrives. Even when Norma and Max reveal themselves as residents, the house remains lifeless and rotting: the drained pool crawls with vermin, the tennis court has faded markings and a sinking net, and the gates resembling prison bars are numerous. A sense of death permeates the deteriorating, grandiose mansion, which symbolizes the decaying state of silent star fame. The deteriorating mansion also inextricably belongs to the bygone silent era, as proven by Joe’s comment, “[the house was] the kind crazy movie stars built in the crazy 20s,” thereby symbolizing silent film’s own increasing neglect and irrelevance in the mid-20th century. It is no wonder Norma lives as a recluse in her broken-down house: it represents the past which she so fiercely clutches onto.
Joe's car (symbol)
Norma’s domination over Joe constantly surfaces in the film, from her paying his rent payments, to her lavishing him with expensive clothes, to him fetching her cigarettes without question. However, none of these instances of Joe’s subservience are as disturbing as the removal of his car from Norma’s house. Joe's car symbolizes his independence; it is the asset responsible for maintaining his own career as a screenwriter in the car-dependent Los Angeles, it provides him transport and access to the basic necessities of his life, and it provides the one possible means of escape from Norma and his life in Los Angeles. Joe understands the importance of his car, which is why he goes to humiliating lengths to request personal loans from Sheldrake and his agent, and why he asserts that his urge to keep his car was the only reason he took Norma’s ghostwriting offer. Once Joe’s car, and agency by extension, departs from his life, he reaches the point of return: he is stuck with Norma, until death do them part.
The dead chimpanzee (symbol)
The elaborate, somber funeral for Norma’s chimp symbolizes Norma’s excess of wealth, alongside her vintage, grandiose luxury cars. The funeral speaks to the indulgent tendencies of the Hollywood elite, who use their wealth as a Gothic show of eccentricity that would be deemed out of bounds everywhere else. Also, when Joe overlooks the funeral, he pities its utmost seriousness and comments, “[it was] as if she were laying to rest an only child. Was her life really as empty as that?” Joe believes the funeral points to the emptiness of Norma’s existence, and her morbid attachment to the monkey suggests that she prefers the synthetic companionship from an animal over an authentic human relationship. Joe eventually becomes a substitute for the dead monkey - Norma trains him to provide stimulated affection and entertainment for her. Like the chimp, Joe becomes fatally dependent on Norma for survival, and their relationship concludes with his death. Thus, the dead chimp symbolizes Norma’s wealth, emptiness, and manipulation.
The swimming pool (symbol)
At the time of Sunset Boulevard’s release, in-ground cement pools were a status symbol of the rich and synonymous with Hollywood mansions and movie stars. Joe associates pools with fame and personal fulfillment when he refers to his floating corpse as “a poor dope” who “always wanted a pool.” Joe’s evolution into Norma’s gigolo results in him living a lavish lifestyle, complete with the luxurious, clean, in-ground pool. However, the pool becomes the site for Joe’s death, after he failed to keep pace with Norma’s manipulation and attain independence from her, thereby cementing the pool as symbol for the deadly consequences arising from elite allure and status.
Faces (motif)
The notion of faces constantly evoke the silent era of film. Silent film acting relied more on acting with the face—with dramatic closeups and grandiose mannerisms—than contemporary talkies. Norma often sets silent films' reliance on faces in opposition to the reliance on dialogue in modern films. For instance, she upholds much pride toward silent film acting, saying, “Still wonderful, isn't it? And no dialogue. We didn't need dialogue. We had faces.” When Joe suggests they add more dialogue in her Salome script, she protests—“What for? I can say anything I want with my eyes.” Norma believes the introduction of dialogue and sound destroyed the power of the face in films.
