The Colosseum
On their trip to Rome that is an attempt to save their marriage—and where it emotionally comes to an end—Richard and Joan press their faces to look at the ancient ruins of the Colosseum which the narrator describes as being “shaped like a shattered wedding cake.” The symbolism here should be rather obvious within the context just described.
Gravitational Force
Toward the end of the story, long after the marriage is dead, Richard discovers a pamphlet about the forces of physics: gravitational, weak, electromagnetic and strong. As he reads on, he subconsciously finds himself “rooting” for the weaker forces, the gravitational, which he learns is much weaker at the microcosmic level than it as the macrocosmic level where it becomes the predominant force holding the universe together. The forces working upon the universe symbolize the forces working within the relationships of the Maples.
The Cats
That the Maples are not intended to represent a typical all-American family is clear enough: the average American family does not build a tennis court on their property. Even more to the point, however, is that the family pets are cats rather than dogs. Cats are the preferred pets of the upper middle class because, of course, you don’t really have to do all that much to take care of them and life is full enough without the need for a dog to provide companionship. The cats do symbolize the status within the American economic system of the Maples, but they also symbolize something more specific: “Esau still loves Esther, while she merely accepts him.” Replace the names of the cats with the names of the couple while retaining the gender, and there you have the story.
The Lock
By the time the marriage has reached the point where “Separating” becomes the title of the story, Joan has become an example of those wives who suddenly seems to blossom under the freedom of a marriage falling apart while Richard has become a Kirk Van Houten-type loser destined to become even more pathetic as an ex-husband. The story is about preparing to announce to the kids the decision to separate, but it is equally about Richard struggling as best he can to maintain his relevance within the family by repairing and fixing things around the house before he leaves it. The final object requiring his attention is a lock on a screen door that becomes a multi-layered Richard due to it being old, outdated, corroded, and—though a pain—eminently replaceable.
The Tennis Court
“Separating” also contains another important symbol of the marriage at large. The building of a clay tennis court the year before had “churned a grassy, daily-dotted knoll into a muddy plateau.” The image of the verdant field where games had been played becoming a filthy bed of muck is just one-half of the symbolism. By the time the project has been completed, the marriage is over, and the tennis court has been sitting there barren, desolate, and unused.
