Phone (Symbol)
In this psychological thriller, it is a symbol of uneasiness. Firstly, it irritates, later it scares the babysitter. The phone ringing and silence in receiver make her feel lonely in the big house: “Hello? No answer. Strange. She…stares out the window at the cold face staring in – she screams! It brings worry, it is an instrument in Mark and Jack lust game .
Bath (Motif)
Through all the story, the babysitter wants to find a few minutes for herself and take a quick bath into the Tuckers’ house. She loves it. Also a considerable part of both real and imaginary events takes place into the Tuckers’ bathroom. It is a place where unreal lusts come alive, and a place where the border between reality and fantasy goes off.
Telecast (Motif)
As well as the bath, the telecast is a prominent motif during the story. It draws children, babysitter and her boyfriend. The more thrilling the shows get, the more thrilling that night get: a western shifts for a murder story. When the western is on, a crazy rodeo happens over the TV set; after switching for murder a hand suddenly clutches her [babysitter’s] mouth.