Nakedness (symbol)
Nakedness is an interesting symbol for it can stand for absolutely opposite concepts. For instance, it can be a symbol of humiliation. Francis remembered how once he and his friends became witnesses of “the public chastisement of a young woman who lived with the German commandant during the Occupation.” She was made to undress and “her nakedness” was supposed to humiliate her, to show her that there was nothing, not even a piece of cloth, to cover herself from people’s anger. Nakedness can also be a symbol of boldness and a certain challenge for the society with all its rules and moral codes. A naked woman Francis saw in a passing train was described as “an extraordinary thing”, her beauty was “exceptional”, she was like “an apparition”. So, we can make an assumption that in a case when nakedness is not forced, when it is a result of somebody’s wish to be free of all conventions, it can be a symbol of boldness and beauty.
A plane crush (allegory)
A plane crush as an allegory of unpredictability of a human life. Francis used to be quite happy. He had a nice job, a family and a lovely house in an ideal neighborhood until everything collapsed. “The plane crash” could stand for anything! It could be a secret, a betrayal, somebody’s death, in other words it had to be something remotely important to destroy that image of a perfect family.
A crisis (motif)
It seemed that Francis had a midlife crisis. He started dreaming about “Paris” again and he even developed a crush on a girl who was younger than him to feel alive again. He knew that “the moral card house would come down on them all – on Julia and the children as well – if he was caught taking advantage of a baby-sitter”, but the temptation was too strong for him to resist. It was not only Francis who felt sick and tired of his family, it was his wife too. The woman suspected that he hated her and that was the reason why he always left his dirty clothes everywhere, he wanted to express his “subconscious hatred of” her.
