Future Book Reviews

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Blog Post #10 : American Drama Project

The Little Foxes

By: Lillian Hellman

General Synopsis

            Regina and her brothers, Oscar and Benjamin, are trying to work out a business deal with Marshall, a businessman from Chicago. They want to profit off of a cotton mill by combining their money. However, Regina needs the money of her husband, Horace, who is in Baltimore because he is extremely ill, in order to complete the deal. She uses her daughter, Alexandra, to bring Horace back to get the bonds he has in his safety deposit box. She and Ben also agree to give a part of Oscar’s original share to Horace’s share to entice Horace into the deal. When Horace returns, he refuses to hand over his money, so Leo, Oscar and Birdie’s son, is pressured, by Oscar and Ben, into stealing the bonds.

            When Horace finds out about the stolen bonds, he tells Regina that he is going to change his will so most of his money goes to Alexandra and that he gave the bonds to Leo as a loan, which cuts Regina out of the deal. However, before he can change his will, he suffers a heart attack. Regina makes no move to help and watches him die.

            Afterwards, Regina threatens to blackmail her brothers about the stolen bonds, saying that she wants 75% of the profits or she’ll report the theft. This drives her brothers away from her, as well as Alexandra, who abandons her (Hellman).

Playwright Background Information

• Lillian Hellman (1905-1984)
• One of the major playwrights in America in 20th century
• Social justice themes, controversial
• Often compared with Ibsen and Chekhov
• Education as a child split into different cultures because of her often moving
• “I cannot and will not cut my conscience to fit this year’s fashions.”
• Extremely outspoken, adventurous, rebellious, and reckless; fit into the life of the 20’s

(Brody)

Characters

• Main Characters
• Regina Hubbard Giddens - Wife of Horace, and sister of Ben and Oscar
• Benjamin (Ben) Hubbard - Brother of Regina and Oscar
• Oscar Hubbard - Brother of Regina and Ben, husband of Birdie
• Alexandra (Zan) Giddens - Daughter of Horace and Regina
• Horace Giddens - Husband of Regina

(Hellman)

• Side Characters
• Birdie Hubbard - Wife of Oscar
• Leo Hubbard - Son of Oscar and Birdie
• Addie- Slave of Horace and Regina
• Cal- Slave of Horace and Regina
• Marshall - Chicago businessman

(Hellman)

Setting: A small town in the deep South, 1900; Regina and Horace’s house (Hellman).

Key Plot Moments

• Near the end of Act I, Regina demands for more of the cotton mill contract’s share because the brothers are now dependent on her husband’s money. Ben; therefore, offers up a part of Oscar’s ⅓ of the share as appeasement, and Oscar gets bad end of the deal. Greed is prevalent in the Hubbard family.
• In the beginning of Act II, Zan brings Horace home from Baltimore where he was treated for a heart condition. He is very weak from the travel and Zan is shown to be more independent and mature, strengthening her role as an individual.
• At the end of Act II, Horace’s bonds are stolen by Leo to invest in the rest of the contract shares, heightening his role as the henchman and proving the Hubbard brothers will stop at no end to get what they want, with or without their sister.
• In the beginning of Act III, Horace directs Cal to inform Mr. Manders about receiving his safety deposit box and is asking for his attorney-of-law in front of everyone--referring to Leo--so he will find out by what Cal tell him of Leo’s reaction if he truly did still his bonds Horace’s manipulative side and his reaction to betrayal is revealed.
• At the end of Act III and the play, Regina indirectly kills Horace by not helping him when his medicine bottle is broken and gets up out of his wheelchair to collapse at the top of the stairs because he will not use the fact that her brothers and Leo stole Horace’s bonds to gain more money out of the investment. Her greed manifests into murder and the “renewal” in her and her daughter’s life.

Key Quotes

• Aunt Birdie: “Don’t love me. Because in twenty years you’ll be just like me...And you’ll trail after them hoping they won’t be so mean that day or say something to make you feel so bad…” (Act III).
• Regina: “I told you I married you for something...But I couldn’t have known you’d get heart trouble so early and so bad. I’m lucky, Horace. I’ve always been lucky” (Act III).
• Horace: “You wreck the town, you and your brothers, you wreck the town and live on it. Not me. Maybe it’s easy for the dying to be honest. And I’ll do it without making the world any worse. I’ll leave that to you” (Act II).
• Alexandra: “Addie said there were people who ate the earth and other people who stood around and watched them do it. Well, tell him for me, Mama, that I’m not going to stand around and watch you do it” (Act III).
• Birdie: “I saw Mama angry for the first time in her life. She said she was old-fashioned enough not to like people [the Hubbards] who killed animals they couldn’t use, and who made their money charging awful interest to ignorant niggers and cheating them on what they bought” (Act III).
• Horace: “It’s a great day when you and Ben cross swords. I’ve been waiting for it for years.” (Act II).

Symbols/Motifs

• The bricks are physically the cotton mill that represent the stability and wealth brought to the “homeowners” (Act III).
• Lionnet, the plantation that Birdie’s family used to own, which Oscar married her for, shows old wealth as her family is aristocratic. The Hubbard Brothers are after this wealth, to attain it quickly and to keep it “in the family” (Act III).
• The piano and music are outlets for the suppressed family members: Birdie, Horace, Alexandra, and Addie. A way to express themselves when no one else listens to them. Horace and Birdie played together when she first came into the family to make her more comfortable--a sanctuary away from the abusive husband, and good-for-nothing son (Act III).
• Chicago, a city in the North, is where the Hubbards and Regina, who are from the South, would like to go to and make profits. They are well off in the South, but Chicago is a status they want to achieve, to rise in social stature (Act I).
• Stairs show the level of domination. The higher the person is on them, the more dominance and power they have over the person lower on the stairs and on the floor. Mostly Regina is up on the landing talking down to her brothers, and when Horace crawls up the steps when he has a heart attack, he collapses and dies, never reaching that power (Act III).

Themes

• Lust for power - The Hubbard brothers and Regina will do anything, stealing to killing, to gain wealth and power.
• Death brings renewal - Regina wants to start a new life with Alexandra by using Horace’s death.
• Betrayal - the fading family bonds are shown when Leo steals Horace’s safety deposit box to invest in the cotton mill contract, and especially when Regina lets Horace die in front of her.
• Family - destruction of family is self-evident from the greed and betrayal.
• Escape from family pressures and social constraints is revealed by Hellman when Horace wants Alexandra to get away from this family in the South by understanding what they are capable of.
• Hopelessness for Alexandra is prominent after the tragedy of her father, but she is set on not moving with her mother to Chicago to live with her.
• Loss of innocence in Alexandra is seen from her giddiness to drive the buggy to her taking care of Horace and fighting with Regina to live her life the way she wants to after learning the knowledge of her mother’s and uncles’ nature.

(Hellman)

Stylistic Devices

• Characterization is developed through their actions instead of the use of descriptive paragraphs to do so
• Writing Topics: legal distress, social justice, controversial themes
• Truthful and eye-opening
• Simplistic
• Blunt and plainspoken

(Kornstein)

Prompt

2007, Form B. Works of literature often depict acts of betrayal. Friends and even family may betray a protagonist; main characters may likewise be guilty of treachery or may betray their own values. Select a novel or play that includes such acts of betrayal. Then, in a well-written essay, analyze the nature of the betrayal and show how it contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.

Thesis

Set against the tense backdrop of the 1900 deep South, The Little Foxes by Lillian Hellman expresses the power of greed through the Hubbard's betrayal of each other to achieve selfish fulfillment; this is juxtaposed to the ideal thematic values of family which typically hold against all hardships.

Cast

Regina Giddens - Regina Zbarskaya

Benjamin (Ben) Hubbard and Birdie Hubbard - Sunny Chen

Oscar Hubbard and Agent Shi - Chelsea Shi

Horace Giddens and Agent Lee - Angela Lee

Alexandra Giddens and Hallway Agent - Rukmini Cheeti

Introduction

• Thesis voiceover
• Cues to opening death scene of Horace then cuts out
• Criminal Minds title and introduction of the actors as characters
• With Criminal Minds opening theme music
• Quote voiceover - From which the title was based off: "Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil our vines, for our vines have tender grapes" (Song of Solomon 2:15).

Transition #1

Agents walking along hallway, talking about the case, go into an interrogation room to talk to Regina, who recounts the happenings before Horace’s death in a flashback; talks about the bonds they were planning to borrow from Horace. 

• Topic Sentence: In the beginning, the Hubbards attempt to preserve family bonds by insisting that the money will always stay in the family, providing an excuse for them to take a part of Oscar’s share.

Transition #2

Cuts back to the interrogation room, agents ask Regina if that’s all; she says yes and they leave her. Agents head to a coffee shop/cafe where they plan to meet Alexandra and get a little more information on what happened between her mother’s story and her father’s death. Alexandra recounts in a flashback what she learned from Birdie.

• Topic Sentence: Despite the outer appearance of a well-functioning family, a look at the more oppressed members of the household reveals that the family is crumbling from the inside.

Transition #3

Agents thank Alexandra and head back to interrogation room, where they confront Regina once more. This time, Regina confesses the truth in a flashback after some pressure by the agents; also mentions the stolen bonds. 

• Topic Sentence: The family finally breaks down completely when Regina kills Horace by refusing to give him his medicine; this act of betrayal shows the overwhelming power of greed over blood.

Conclusion

Regina convicted as guilty for killing her husband. Cut to a few days later, where the agents reflect upon the message of the case as they walk along a sidewalk.

View original document (with the full script, storyboards, and works cited) here.

PROPAGANDA: The Orb of Tides Chapter 1

Author's Note: Because I feel obligated to share a little bit of the book I keep mentioning. There are supposed to be indents, but the formatting on Blogger kept glitching up, so I decided to just not indent anything. Enjoy!

O N E

This is not my story to tell.

But neither is it a story I deserve.

Because my hands are tainted with the blood of those that should not have died, because my heart only contains memories of those I once loved. And even if I stand in the light, I am not good. I am not a hero.

Yet in this world, how could I possibly be one? In a world created by lies and vengeance, secrets that people keep “for the greater good”, how could anybody be one? This world is not good. There are no heroes.

This is a world where lives are traded like coins, where last words spoken are not ones of love, where one person’s legacy threw cities into flame--where black is white and good is bad and where thrones are lined with chains and prisons are filled with keys. Only words tell of countries built by peace and virtue. But that is not here. At least, not before.

Now you ask me, what world is like this?

And I say, what world isn’t?

◙ ◙ ◙ ◙ ◙ ◙ ◙

A L V A R A

The evening air drifted with the faint scent of holiday candles. It was a clear night with an effulgent eye of the moon hanging like a theatre prop against a lonely ink sky. A fresh breeze tickled the trees. Below the hills, a snow-showered village was painted in light. It was the New Year, and even in this troubled time, families were celebrating.

Alvara stumbled across the cobblestone streets, lamps glimmering in her presence. Her breath made tired clouds that melted away into the darkness. In one hand she held tight a tattered cloak, closed against the billowing wind. In the other floated a small sphere of bright light.

How far had she traveled? Before the Incident, she had never ventured beyond the stream bordering her forest home. It was strange to think that after just a year her feet had taken her more than halfway up the continent--trudging through silent ghost towns and skirting militia forts. Alvara still faintly remembered her surprised reaction when she first saw snow, and now that was pretty much all she saw.

But that didn’t matter. She had to find it. She had to find him.

Her sore footsteps led her to a building with a sunken roof--WELBURY INN: Breakfast, Bar and Hotel. It was in better shape than the ramshackled places she had stayed in on her journey north. Warm bread smell blew over her when the door opened, and she walked in, extinguishing her glowing orb.

"What kinda lonely soul pays ol’ Thorn a visit this time of year? Surely this is the worst time to be off on a journey," a rough voice rumbled from behind a counter. Embers of a fireplace crackled in a corner, the only other witness in the empty room.

"Just traveling by," she said, keeping it brisk. "Are there any rooms open?"

The owner of the voice turned around, revealing a portly man around the age of sixty. He had a large, frazzled beard that could’ve made up for his bald head and then some. The barman eyed her for a moment before saying, "How many nights?"

“One. I'm heading out tomorrow. Do you take money--"

"Ten copper.”

Surprised, she fumbled to draw out the coins. Most of Mageia had resorted to bartering now; money was near worthless.

The barman stuffed the coins into his pockets with a grunt. "Up the stairs, second floor, third room from the end on the right. Breakfast's at six.” He wiped his palms with a towel, conjured up some fire in his hands to relight the fireplace, and then slid the key across the countertop.

Alvara thanked him and ascended the stairs to find her room. It wasn't anything royal, occupied by a pathetic bed, a small night desk,  and a washbasin, but it was still better than nothing. Most towns these days didn’t even have an inn; it was strange that this one was still intact. Her bag slid off her shoulder, and she collapsed on the mattress. All she hoped for now was a dreamless sleep.

◙ ◙ ◙ ◙ ◙ ◙ ◙

T E E T E R

Frost clung to leaves like bitter dew. The ground crunched with every step. Teeter shifted her bag up her shoulder, a makeshift backpack sewn out of a potato sack, and exhaled a white cloud into the air. She took a moment to watch it disappear before continuing. This is how it’s like to be Seth, she thought with a flicker of triumph. Poor Edan must be panicking, finding both his little brother and sister gone now. But he shan’t fear. I am different from Seth! Seth toiled in delinquency, but Teeter was out for justice.

The guy had been morphing into a Seeker ever since their mom’s death orphaned them, talking poop like “I’m gonna find the Orb of Tides!” and doing nothing to help his siblings. He kept poofing, coming back, poofing, coming back, until finally he seemed gone for good. For “the Orb of Tides,” Teeter bet. Even Edan, in all his protectiveness, cursed Seth’s name and declared no one ever find him. But Teeter would bring Seth back, oh yes. No matter how much Edan opposed.

She just had to run off, the way Seth did. Her destination? Thorn, the village where they had grown up. Then the Incident hit, and they moved into the woods, but that was a story Teeter would rather not think about. What mattered was that it was the closest town, and that she was almost there.

When her boots finally touched the cobblestone path, she dropped her bag in surprise.

There was a time when Thorn hummed, as such small a town couldn't create much bustle, but even then the painted rooftops glowed green like the forest it was named after, and windows were kept open through the night because the air was just that nice. Though, for all Teeter knew, the present Thorn had every other door locked shut. The streets littered with radical fliers as termites wasted away at the rotting wooden walls.

But, no; the town had changed. A sweet tang mingled with the air, and she felt something warmer than the snow beneath her feet. At a corner, a man was playing the fiddle as a crowd clapped along, and just on the next street a gang of kids was playing kickball with a stuffed bag. Sparklers replaced the lanterns, and laughter replaced the cries.

Peaceful times were rare, and celebration was a treat few could truly enjoy. But here the townspeople were, making cheer for New Year’s Eve outside of their weathered homes.

Teeter felt her chest bloat. This was what she wanted: for her family to rejoice like that again.

She turned her back on the villagers and headed to the inn she knew so well. The door was pushed open, and a sweet, cozy smell filled her nose with warmth. A man with a frazzled beard greeted her with clouted tankards from behind a bar. "Welcome," he started, then nearly dropped his mug. "By Regia, if it isn’t Teeter! Whatcha doin’, showing up after all these years? Aren’t ya nearly twelve now? Your family doin’ well?”

"Mr. Welbury­­--” His bear arms suffocated her tiny self and she continued in a squeak. "We’re okay. You?"

"Quite busy, actually," he said, “A strange maiden was here just a bit ago. Before her, there was a southern girl--y’know, the ones with blue hair."

"You've got another one," Teeter said, shaking her arms free from the hug. “Just me, for the night. I’m running an errand, don’t ask." She tossed over a dozen clattering coins.

“Whatever ya say.” He pocketed them, passing her a copper object. “Your key. Up the second floor, third room from the end. Ya remember the schedule?"

“Thanks, and yep.” Teeter turned to clamber up the stairs, tossing a “good night” behind her.

She reached the hallway, expecting the same familiarity she found with the first floor. And most of it was--the patterned rug, the dark wooden walls--but something off the corner of her vision wasn’t.

Teeter whipped her head around. A shadow flitted across the wall, shrouding her eyes. She didn’t even have time to scream; she scrambled down the hall, slammed her key into a door and jiggled it. “Open, stupid door, open!” It wouldn’t.

Heart pounding, the girl booted the door with a swift kick.

◙ ◙ ◙ ◙ ◙ ◙ ◙

A L V A R A

Thwunk, thwunk, thwunk.

Alvara shot out of the covers. Her door rattled; somebody was beating it, preceding each blow with a muted growl.

Why did I choose such a cheery village? She tiptoed to her bow and nocked an arrow, gritting. The happy ones are the suspicious ones!

She poised herself to kick. One foot struck the door, swinging the entire thing from its hinges. The panel smacked the floor, and Alvara leaped atop the wood, bow in hand, arrow pointed. Out squeaked a timid yelp.

Alvara lowered her bow; it was just a little girl. She stared up with horrified lime eyes, cheeks pale under a dapple of freckles. When she shook, a crop of brown pigtails shivered with her. “I--uh--you--what are you doing here?”

Alvara's mouth twitched. “What’s a kid like you doing?”

“I saw a ghost--or something like it that was black and shadowy, and I dunno how but it was right there! Right there, you see?”

“No, and I thought I was about to be ambushed by someone in the middle of the night.”

“Fine. Sorry. But I really saw something!”

“What in the name of Regia’s charmer is goin’ on?” The stairs creaked as the barman stormed towards them. “It sounds like horns babbling up here!” Then his eyes caught the door and he stopped himself. A dark smile shadowed his face. “Teeter...have ya forgotten in time to respect my precious property and my precious customers?” He swung an arm around Alvara’s shoulders.

“It wasn’t me!” The girl, Teeter, pointed. “It’s that-­­-that Copperlocks!”

“Copperlocks?” The man turned to his “precious” customer. Alvara stared down at her copper hair, feeling heat come to her cheeks at the sudden nickname. For a moment, the barman was silent. Then he said, “Oh, dearest apologies, precious customer! That door wasn’t the freshest of the batch--­­” he turned to the small girl to hiss, “­­--don’t blame my precious customers­­!” and then, turning back to Alvara with a smile, “­Please don't take it personally; that girl can't control herself.”

Teeter groaned. “That's not the point, Mr. Welbury! There was something here.”

“What do ya mean, a ghost?”

Alvara crossed her arms. “She thinks she saw a ghost and tried breaking in my door on accident.”

“Is that so, Precious Copperlocks? Well, I assure ya this place isn’t haunted, and neither did anyone ghastly book a room tonight.”

“Thank you, that’s good to know. So, about the door...”

“Wait,” Teeter said, “You don't believe me either, Mister?” Alvara glanced at Mr. Welbury in expectation.

He rubbed his forehead. “Look, how about this? I’ll give Precious Copperlocks a change of rooms for now, and you two can settle the door issue tomorrow over breakfast. Teeter,” he shook his head, “go to bed now. Me and you’ll have a chat about this ghost thing later, okay?”

“But...” Teeter clenched her teeth. “Okay, fine. Tomorrow! You will--you both will--believe me.” With a muffled humph, the girl drove her key into her proper door and shut it taut. Once silence settled the hallway again, Mr. Welbury turned back to Alvara.

“I apologize for her behavior. She’s the daughter of an ol’ friend of mine, and I’m afraid she’s quite callow.” He paused. “Your name is not Copperlocks, is it?”

She watched his face as she answered, “No, it's Alvara.”

Mr. Welbury appeared amused, though Alvara wasn’t sure why. He chuckled and said, “Then here's your key, Precious Alvara,” he said, pointing to her room, “and make sure to be there tomorrow morning.”

Alvara turned to get her rucksack. “If it’s about the door, I can pay for it right now.”

“Ah, but it really isn't about the door, is it?” He gave her a long look. What? She froze, and her teeth sank into her lip.

“I’m sorry, but I need to go to bed.” She grabbed the rucksack and strided past him.

“You think about what ya wanna say tomorrow. Six o’clock, be there!”

She shut the door.

When the quiet showed that the man had left, Alvara slid down to a crouch, pressing both hands to her temples. He can’t know anything just because he sounds like it. Just like how that girl--Teeter--couldn’t have seen a ghost just because she thinks it. They’re mad. She pulled herself up. This cheery village is full of mad people!

By the time Alvara reached the bed, she had decided that she’d attend the breakfast meeting. She’d clarify everything, fix the door, and leave them no need to remember her. Such happenings were the ones she had to watch out for; they were the little things that crumbled the big goal in the long run. The reason for all her wandering, the reason for all her secrecy...

Shaking the thought from her head, Alvara snaked a hand into the pocket of her bag and drew out a small, golden pendant. A colorful butterfly charm was twisted in its own tangles, facets reflecting burnished sunset under the candlelight--her dead mother’s. Dead because she was stupid enough to leave the forest right after the Incident.

It was exactly what it was called: an occurrence, a happenstance, and what the destroyed government once labeled “an accident”. Nobody believed that now.

But it wasn’t politics people were interested in. It was what caused the Incident in the first place--a set of five powerful weapons, created by a secret team of elemental masters. Rumored to be able to level mountains and split seas, all they did was backfire, kill their makers, then disappear.

Someone had stolen them. At least, that was what everyone said. The public had factionalized about the fate of  the “Great Weapons” by that time, and their disappearance tore the deteriorating government apart. Civil wars raged. Cities were destroyed. Nobles fled their mansions and most turned up dead months later. Nobody ever did find the Weapons to quell the chaos.

Those were the words her father had spoken. It had felt like some distant dream back then, an absurd dystopian novel fetched for a low price at a nearby market. Then her mother died, and reality set in.

Alvara flipped over on the bed, heart stiff. Everyone died one day; it just happened to be her mother’s time. Such grief was a weakness.

She sighed. How long had it been since the Incident? A year? Maybe more? She never bothered to remember the date, and she didn’t care. What she did remember was the note, so perfectly arranged with that beautiful bow she now carried. “Find the Orb,” it had said. The Orb of Tides--the Great Weapon that ruled the oceans. She hadn’t seen a trace of her father since then.

Don’t think about it. You’ve already wasted too much time doing that. Alvara squeezed her eyes shut. Just sleep. And it worked.

She dozed off in the glow of the candlelight, copper hair splayed across her face.

Then the light blew out.

Do not use, reproduce, or edit without express permission from the authors. 

Blog Post #9: The Sense of an Ending Creative Project

Egg carton diary

By: Sunny Chen and Chelsea Shi

       While The Sense of an Ending, by Julian Barnes, ends on an unclear note, it has an appropriate conclusion that reflects the ambiguity and fragility of life; our project represents this through the use of central motifs, character perceptions, and symbolic positioning and design.

       Barnes conveys the ambiguity of the past based on the perceptions of those involved. Tony and his professor’s definitions of history are “the lies of the victors” and “the self delusions of the defeated” (18). This quote, seen on the blackboard diary cover, reflects the learning scene of the novel and the bias of the knowledge gained. It encompasses a broad understanding of the deception throughout the story due to Tony’s point of view. Is Tony a victor? Is Tony a defeated? His point of view skews the novel in such a way that there is no guarantee in what Tony is saying is true. Along with the definitions of history, the gaps between the eggs represent the missing pieces of the story. Even though Tony states that Adrian Jr. is actually Sarah and Adrian Sr.’s son, there are various hints throughout the book that Adrian Jr. could be Sarah and Tony’s son. It is implied already that Tony had sexual encounters with Veronica’s mom, from where he wakes up and “only Mrs. Ford was around” to the strange “horizontal gesture at waist level” (31, 33). These are gaps in his memories that he forcibly suppresses in order to not blame himself or Adrian Sr. for Adrian Jr.’s life. In addition to this, Barnes chooses to style the novel in two parts - one where Tony restates the events leading up to Adrian’s suicide, and the other as Tony’s reflection of what really happened and what it meant. Even though Tony ponders the meaning of Adrian’s death, there is no certainty that what he is telling is the truth, as he slowly rediscovers bits and pieces of the story that he originally left out.

"History is the lies of the victors...and the self-delusions of the defeated" (18).

       The egg carton itself represents Adrian’s diary, the unknown reality of the situation that had occurred. Veronica “burnt it” before Tony could get the entire thing; her actions reflect how nobody is able to know the truth (101). However, Tony was able to obtain a small photocopied page with the last sentence being “So, for instance, if Tony…” (97). This partial truth indicates that what Adrian thought of Tony is lost, as is the rest of the secret behind his suicide. Tony does continue to brainstorm alternative endings to the unfinished thought. Through the repetition of “if Tony…” Barnes expresses Tony’s desire to know Adrian’s thoughts in an attempt to understand the implications behind Adrian’s death (97). As such, the diary represents the hidden story behind all that had occurred, the reason for those events, and the inability of the reader to fully comprehend the truth.

Character perceptions 

       The eggs inside the carton show the perspectives and traits of the major characters that played a hand in the catastrophic events that led to conclusion of the novel; this represents the fragility of the outside perceptions of each character and the fragility of life itself. As seen from Veronica’s lecture of Tony where she scolds him on how he “never did and never will” understand the truth, none of the perspectives of the characters are accurate. Tony sees Adrian Sr. differently than Veronica sees Adrian Sr. As such, none of the eggs can be cracked open, would would symbolically reveal the truth behind each of the characters’ motives and actions; yet, they still represent how easily it is to destroy an assumption, an opinion. While the fragility of one’s thoughts may not seem important, they in turn create the fragility of life. One action can lead to disastrous consequences, seen when Tony realizes that he was part of the “chain of responsibility” that led to Adrian Jr. existence and Adrian Sr.’s suicide (162). It was because of the “ugly letter” he sent to Adrian Sr., urging him “to consult Veronica’s mother” that created the domino effect. This is foreshadowed in Barnes’ writing when Sarah is breaking eggs almost as if she “enjoyed causing this small havoc” (31). The “cracked egg” is symbolic of Adrian Jr.’s disabilities and Sarah’s older age that caused it to happen, seen in the project as the cracks in eggs that represent Sarah and Adrian Jr. The eggs then portray Barnes’ message that life is fragile due to the flawed views of humankind.
       The perspectives in the eggs, flawed retellings from the quote and gaps, and the inability of comprehension through the diary presents the ambiguity of life. Through that, the fragility of life can be seen by exposing the truth, perceptions, and repercussions of each of the characters’ actions. This culminates in Barnes’ final message - that despite the unclarity of the truth, one must be accountable for their actions and the consequences that follow.