Symbol: Rings
Both Celia and Marco receive rings on the day their "patrons" agree to conduct a competition between them. A ring is a symbol of being bound to an obligation and a person. This is why, when Celia receives marriage proposals, she laughs saying that she is “already married” in spite of the fact that they have never had a wedding: her ring always reminds her of the competition and Marco, and so does Marco’s.
Motif: The Game
The main motif of this novel is a game or a competition. It’s a game for Hector Bowen and Alexander, for they just observe, and it’s a competition for Marco and Celia, for they are directly involved in it. The opponents not only have no idea about the rules, but they also cannot quit, for they are bound to this game in a fatalistic way. The only way to end the game is to exhaust your opponent to death. This motif is an effective way for Morgenstern to juxtapose the playful with the serious.
Symbol: The Clock
The clock that Herr Thiessen makes for the circus is a marvel of engineering and artistry. It symbolizes time itself, obviously, but in its perfection and precision, it also alludes to the circus itself. The circus has to run perfectly in order to exist and to keep the participants safe.
Symbol: The Curtain
There is a beaded curtain that hangs in the doorway between the lobby of the fortune-teller's tent and Isobel herself. One must pass through that curtain to get to the place where they receive their fortune. A curtain is a symbol of passage, of moving from one place or status to another. Thus, when young Bailey passes through the beads, which he finds remarkable, he goes from being unsure of himself and his place in the world to feeling like is closer to being the Bailey he is supposed to be once he leaves.
Symbol: The Bonfire
The bonfire is what Marco uses to connect himself to the circus, but it is also much more than that: it is a symbol of life, power, and sustenance. As long as the fire is burning, the circus is alive and well (albeit with help from Celia and Isobel). When the fire is extinguished at the end, the circus is doomed—but when Bailey lights it as part of taking it over, the circus comes alive again.
