The house: The house that Clare and Henry continue to look for symbolizes the fact that
all they want to do is find a place where they fit in. Henry especially, just wants to find a
place that he can call home and look forward to returning to.
Museum(s)/Library: Henry talks about how he loved going to a museum as a child, and
even meets up with younger versions of himself at some. They are a place where
everything is organized and the past, present, and future are all located in one place. The
Newberry Library, where Henry works is also similar to the museums he visits because it
is filled with things from the past. For the most part both environments are pretty much
set, and won't change very often.
Dreams: Many of the dreams that Henry and Clare actually end up coming true. One
dream that Clare has five times, has to do with dying fetuses and deformed babies. While
it is a little bit different each time, they usually end with Clare waking up and discovering
that she has had yet another miscarriage. Henry's dream has to do with him losing his
feet and having them placed in a box at the Newberry Library. While he does end up
getting an amputation in real life, his feet do not go on display. The symbolism behind
seeing his feet on display, means that Henry felt that he would be documented forever so
that no one would ever forget him.
The Tape: While it was not necessarily an object that kept reappearing, Henry used the
example of a tape recorder to describe his life. He says that most peoples' lives are like a
tape; it plays from start to finish. His however, works as if someone was listening and
they decided that they wanted to go back and hear something again. In general, his
explanation goes to show how quickly life can get out of hand and how, if you're not
careful, you could end up losing your place.
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