59 pages • 1 hour read
Ann NapolitanoWithin Arm's Reach
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2024A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Family Photographs
Family photographs are a motif that represents the unbreakable bond that the McLaughlin family has with each other, no matter how distant or unharmonious they might be in any given moment. This supports the novel’s focus on the importance of Emotional Expression and Communication Within Families.
Photographs first appear when Lila shows Gracie some family photographs of them as children that Catharine left at the house. Lila explains, “They were in an envelope with our names on it under one of the magnets on the refrigerator” (44). Gracie remembers that they were rivals who constantly tried to upstage each other and did not like each other. However, even then, they were able to get along enough to join together for a picture. Catharine leaving them at the house shows that she has been subtly trying to get Gracie and Lila to connect as sisters and bond.
They appear again in Catharine’s room multiple times, where family photographs decorate it. They connect Catharine to her children and grandchildren and show her that they are always with her and will always be connected. The pictures provide comfort to Catharine, and Noreen notices them, seeing how devoted she is to her family.
Family photographs appear once again at Gracie’s baby shower. Catharine’s first present to her is a photograph of her and Lila when they were children. Catharine states that she picked that picture because “they looked linked together, two Irish faces, bodies entwined, fitted like two pieces that belong in the same puzzle” (309). The photograph starts a conversation between Gracie, Lila, and Kelly where they fondly remember the day the picture was taken, even though the sisters bickered frequently at that time. The picture also helps bring the sisters further together, strengthening their bond.
Kelly’s Motel Room
Kelly’s motel room is a symbol of her desire find her identity separate from the family that she has devoted herself to all her life. In this way, it ties into the theme of The Role of Tradition and Change in Personal Development. Her recurring visits to the motel show the complex process of Kelly’s emotional healing. Kelly goes there after arguments with Louis, when her daughters hurt her feelings, and when the demands of her family become too much. The physical distance gives her an emotional distance and safety that she cannot have while she remains in her house.
The motel room is the only place Kelly can “explore and expose [her] true self” and does not have “to pretend to be interested or sorry or content” (101) for her family or employers. This statement indicates that Kelly spends a lot of energy performing affective labor, giving others the emotional reactions they need even though they give Kelly nothing in return.
The motel room starts as a positive space where Kelly can unwind and focus on self-care, but after befriending Vince, it becomes the site of her extramarital affair. Kelly justifies her actions, saying her experience with Vince “is unlike anything I’ve ever felt, and I deserve it” (248). She then thinks to herself, “I live my life the way I like, without worrying over appearances. I am done fighting for or with my husband” (249). This shows that her search for individuality has taken her too far outside her family, and she has forgotten how important they are to her. When she learns that Louis saved Ryan and has been more involved with her family than she has been lately, she recenters on the things she values most and ends her affair with Vince.
Catharine’s Rug
Catharine’s rug symbolizes her nostalgia and regrets, supporting the theme of Emotional Expression and Communication Within Families and Shifting Family and Generational Dynamics. The rug makes its appearance when Catherine falls while walking in her room and breaks her hip. Where she is lying, she can only see “the smooth Oriental rug that used to be my mother’s” (160). Being in the unfamiliar position of lying on the floor makes her realize that she has “never done anything but walk over it until now” (160). This reminds her that children used to play on it, but she never had time to sit on the rug and play with them. She reflects, “[D]uring that time, parents didn’t play with their children like they do today” (160). Now, however, she is happy that her children get to play with their children.
This shows a positive generational shift; even while struggling, her children are more playful and open with their own children—Catharine’s grandchildren—than Catharine was with them. The rug helps Catherine gain closure on some of her regrets and provides a tangible connection between the past and the present.
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By Ann Napolitano
