Lessing's Own Life Allegory
Although Lessing did not raise a sociopathic child, like Harriet did in the story, she did leave her older children in order to devote her life to the youngest. The exploration that takes place in the book about whether or not permanent emotional damage has been done to the older children by their mother's neglect of them is something that Lessing also wrested with in her own life. Did she irrevocably harm her older children by leaving them and taking only her youngest to London to start a new life? Harriet does not geographically move away from her older children, but she is certainly emotionally distanced from them by allowing Ben to come back to the home, and ultimately although she stays in the home, with Ben, her children move to live with their grandparents, causing a family that was similarly fractured to Lessing's own.
Ben's Appearance Symbol
Ben is not so affectionally noted to be "troll like" by his family and his appearance is a symbol to them of his differences, and the fact he does not fit in with them. His appearance is also symbolic of the fact that there seems to be something of the "other world" about him; he seems to be more troll or gnome than he does human and this is seen as a symbol of the evil and mischief that is inherent in his character.
Irresponsibility Motif
Throughout the novel, the motif of irresponsibility is apparent and it is usually used in conjunction with Harriet and her actions. When David and Harriet first decide to have children, they are not seen as irresponsible, even though they really cannot afford them, because they have only two children, and they have a large support system within the family that voice their willingness to help. The pay off for the family is sharing in the joy that is palpable in the home, and spreads to everyone who visits there.
When the couple decide to extend their family, and have two more children, they are viewed as irresponsible, and justifiably so; after all, they cannot afford the children they already have, and they only manage to look after them by monopolizing Harriet's mother, much to the annoyance of her sister who would also like a little help with her own children. Harriet is an essentially irresponsible person; she breezes through life doing what she sees to be good for Harriet, regardless of how it affects other people. David is also like this to an extent, but he does start to identify his key responsibility is to parent his older children because Harriet is failing to do so.
Ben as a Symbol of Fear
To his siblings, Ben is a symbol of fear, and of everything bad that has started to happen in their lives. They first notice this when he is a baby, but it is also emphasized to them when they take a vacation as a family without him. Everything returns to normal between them again; they are happy, relaxed, filled with joy. They enjoy each other, enjoy their family and remember how happy they used to be before Ben came along.
When they arrive home again, these feelings of joy disappear and are replaced by fear again, and this is because the presence of Ben symbolizes fear, anxiety and the feeling of being abandoned by their mother. Ben symbolizes everything that is negative in the lives of the other children.
Paul's Nervous Breakdown
Paul begins to unravel mentally and emotionally, partly due to his fear of Ben and partly due to his emotional abandonment by his mother. This is a symbol of the detrimental effect that Ben has had on the family, and also a symbol of his mother's failure to parent him.
Desire to Hurt Animals Symbol
Throughout the field of criminal psychology it has widely been acknowledged that psychopaths (and most notably, serial killers) delight in hurting and killing animals. From a very early age, even whilst still in his crib, Ben has attempted to harm domestic animals. and is seen stalking a dog when he becomes a toddler. This is a symbol of his psychopathic nature and the fact that he has the capacity to inflict harm on an animal for his own gratification.
