The Room (Symbol)
The room referred to in the play's title is a symbol of Rose's existence. The play opens with Rose commenting at length on the comfort she gets from the one-room bedsit flat, which she much prefers to the cold, dark outside world or the damp, dark basement. By contrast, Rose's modest room is warm and contains light. From the outset of the play, Pinter emphasizes the symbolic importance of Rose's room by having her say that to leave the room is "murder," a phrase that, though common, hits on her fear that to go outside would invite potential dangers capable of causing her existence to end. When the Sands inform her that Riley told them the room was going vacant, Rose's demeanor shifts with the implicit threat to her, and Rose asserts "this room is occupied" with severity. Lastly, when Riley enters the stage to deliver his message, Rose reacts to the demand that she "come home" as though her life would end were she to leave the room.
The Basement (Symbol)
The basement of Mr. Kidd's rooming house is a symbol of the afterlife. Perceived by Rose and the Sands as dark, damp, and sinister, the basement of Mr. Kidd's rooming house is occupied by Riley, a mysterious stranger who emerges from the eerie environment to ask Rose to "come home." Rose also comments on how she and Bert were initially offered a room in the basement, but she refused, knowing the damp walls would be a threat to their health and well-being. Toward the end of the play, Pinter cements the basement's symbolic association with the afterlife by having Riley act as a Grim Reaper figure who seemingly has come to take Rose into the afterlife.
Mrs. Sands' Star (Symbol)
The star that Mrs. Sands claims to have seen on her way to the rooming house symbolizes the birth of a child. Though Pinter describes the Sands as young, they bicker like an old married couple. The intimation is that they will move into the room and gradually become just like Rose and Bert. A component of this fate is the question of whether they will remain childless, as it appears Rose and Bert are. One of the Sands' many short arguments is over a star that Mrs. Sands claims to have seen that night but which Mr. Sands affirmatively says she did not see. The phenomenon of a single star in the sky seen while a young couple search for lodging suggests a Biblical reference to the birth of Jesus. When Mr. Sands shuts down his wife’s insistence that she saw a star, he is ending a discussion about children. Whether he doesn’t want kids or isn’t capable of producing offspring is unclear, but once he tells his wife she didn't see any star, the bickering stops and the subject is closed.
Riley (Symbol)
A mysterious blind man who has the curious ability to lie in a damp basement all weekend waiting to deliver a message, Riley is a symbol of death. Because he is blind, Riley carries a stick that helps him move through physical space. And in contrast to the other characters, his racial background is specified in stage directions, with Pinter referring to Riley as a Negro. These physical features create an association between Riley and the popular image of the Grim Reaper, a personification of death who wields a large scythe and wears a black cloak. Pinter further emphasizes Riley's association with the Grim Reaper by having him emerge from the afterlife-like basement to insist that Rose "come home." However, Pinter complicates this image of the Grim Reaper by showing him having a tender connection to Rose that isn't based on fear. And for an emissary of death, Riley is also strangely vulnerable, unable or unwilling to defend himself against Bert's attack. Ultimately, Pinter brings Riley's otherworldly associations into question when Bert incapacitates and potentially kills Riley by kicking his head against the stove.
Bert's Van (Symbol)
The van Bert drives for his unspecified job is a symbol of freedom. For most of his time on stage, Bert is mute, unresponsive to Rose's ramblings as he eats bacon and eggs and reads a magazine. Upon returning home, however, Bert is quite vocal and amped up with energy. He delivers a short monologue about his day of driving on icy roads, filling out the picture with suggestive language that personifies his van in a way that implies "she" is more of a sexual partner than a means of conveyance. With this sudden revelation of Bert's character, Pinter draws a contrast between him and Rose: While Rose is terrified of going outside, the outside world—as accessed via his van—fills Bert with energy and purpose.
