Pond (symbol)
Mabel wants to die, but she has not yet chosen a way to do it. Having cleaned her mother’s grave, she heads down the pond. Jack Ferguson becomes curious about why Mabel walks down there. Suddenly she enters the pond. The reader understands that her goal is to drown. Fortunately, Dr. Ferguson saves Mabel. At this point, the reader is only experiencing Jack's point of view. So through the context and the change in perspective, the dark, freezing pond symbolizes the uncertainty and mystery surrounding Mabel's actions. The pond's stillness and opaqueness also symbolize the peace and finality she may seek from death.
Dog (symbol)
The Pervin's family dog, and dog imagery in general, serves as both a symbol and recurring motif in the story. When Joe offers the family dog some bits of bacon, he only does so to tease her after all the bacon is gone. Joe takes joy in withholding enjoyment from the dog because he, himself, will shortly experience a life of far less luxury than he is used to. Dog imagery serves both to elevate and mock different characters in the story. For Mabel, being compared to a dog makes her seem stoic and masculine. She is shown as responsible and impervious to the hardships that she faces. However, when Joe is described as having "his tail between his legs," (202) he is being portrayed as ashamed and timid.
Loneliness, isolation (motifs)
Nobody knows what is on the mind of the main character Mabel. Someone might think that she is mentally unsound or just lives in her own little world. However, by the end of the story, Lawrence suggests that Mabel is just lonely. After her parents’ death, loneliness destroys her relationship with her brothers. Her loneliness also makes Mabel stop communicating with the outside world and makes death seem like the best option. Lawrence shows how it is difficult for a person to rid themselves of loneliness, which gradually turns into depression. The end of the story suggests that love, or the feeling of being loved, can change everything. We are left, however, with a dark question: how long can such a love, born in an instant, endure?
