The Boss' Office (Symbol)
The boss' office is a symbol of his status and wealth. Mr. Woodifield compliments the office's decor, and as the boss reminds him happily that it has recently been renovated, his status as a wealthy businessman is publicly articulated. The office is also a sign of the material pursuits that have preoccupied the boss over the last six years; clearly his business has been successful. As the story progresses, that same office becomes the site of the boss' emotional turmoil. Mansfield seems to suggest that the boss' lack of processing his son's death is tied to the comforts of his identity as a businessman.
The Fly (Symbol)
The fly is a symbolic device that represents different thematic elements and concepts. For example, it symbolizes the human unwillingness to accept death, epitomized in this story by the boss' inability to process his son's death. It also represents the experience of grief and loss; almost drowning in the ink, the fly must work to rid itself of its burden again and again. Ultimately, its efforts are futile—a dark commentary on the human experience. The fly can also be read as a critique of the sacrifice and loss required by Britain in World War I. These many interpretations make the fly an ambiguous but potent symbol in Mansfield's text.
The Photograph (Symbol)
The framed photograph of the boss' son, unchanging for the last six years, is at its most literal level a symbol of the boss' loss. Yet it also represents the emotional stifling of the boss' grief, his inability to process or move on from his son's death. The boss reflects on the photograph in order to mourn, but he is unable to conjure the sadness he expects. Hoping to prompt his tears, he gets up to look at the photograph. But the picture is not a "favorite," and his son's face looks different in the photograph than how he remembered him. As a result, the photograph fails to facilitate the mourning process and thus symbolizes his inability to properly grieve.
Death (Motif)
Death is a recurring motif throughout "The Fly." The two central characters, Mr. Woodfield and the boss, are both elderly. Mr. Woodifield is plagued by the possibility of his own death; he is described as weak and frail, having recently suffered a stroke. The boss, on the other hand, is full of life and vitality. His relationship with death is defined by the loss of his son, the memory of whom holds the boss captive even six years later. The motif of death surfaces again at the end of the story, when the boss provokes the fly's death.
Whiskey (Symbol)
The boss pulls out a fine whiskey to serve to Mr. Woodifield, proclaiming that the ladies are wrong in denying him the liquor's pleasures. The two men share a drink together, and it restores some memory and vigor to Mr. Woodifield. In this way, the whiskey represents vitality, life, and masculinity.
