51 pages • 1 hour read
Taylor Jenkins ReidForever, Interrupted: A Novel
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2013A 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
Marriage Certificate
Elsie Porter and Ben Ross’s marriage certificate is symbolic of love. After Ben dies, Elsie is desperate for the document to arrive in the mail because she is determined to prove her and Ben’s love to others. This is particularly important to her because everyone from the police officers who attend Ben’s accident, to the funeral director who arranges his funeral, to his mother demands that Elsie show them the certificate to authenticate their marriage. There are few people “who can confirm” that they were married, which makes Elsie feel that everyone is questioning the reality of her romance with Ben (72). Every time the mail comes, she frantically races to the mailbox and sifts through her envelopes. This habit conveys her desperation to receive the document and prove to the world that she and Ben were in love.
The more time that passes without the marriage certificate’s arrival, the more Elsie begins to doubt her own romantic experience. Without the document, she can hardly remember or honor the nine days she was married to Ben. If she can’t prove they were married, she can’t call herself Ben’s wife and doesn’t feel justified in grieving Ben with such intensity. This is, in turn, why Elsie hesitates to call the county about the document per Susan’s suggestion. She doesn’t want confirmation that the document doesn’t exist or can’t be processed. Once she does hear from the county, Elsie decides to file the certificate, even though Ben has died. She tells the representative from the county recorder’s office to process the paperwork because “It happened” and “should be a part of the county record” (309). From Elsie’s point of view, making the marriage official makes her and Ben’s love official. The document is a tangible representation of what the couple shared, however brief it might have been.
Ben’s Pillow
Ben Ross’s pillow is symbolic of grief. After Ben dies, Elsie shoves his favorite pillow into a plastic bag so she can preserve Ben’s scent on the fabric. Whenever she misses Ben, she sits with the pillow and sniffs it through a corner of the bag. She keeps the pillow because she sees it as an extension of the person she lost. In turn, preserving his scent is a way for Elsie to maintain a fleeting connection with her late husband.
In Part 2, Chapter 28, Elsie allows Susan to smell the pillow when she catches her trying to find Ben’s scent on Ben’s clothes. She then watches as Susan “somewhat hesitantly [...] lowers her face into it, her nose grazing the pillow itself” (232). Susan “lets herself lose it,” because the pillow recalls memories of her late son (232). Therefore, the pillow is an access point to grief for both women. They often try to control their emotions, but the pillow lets them feel what they are feeling without shame. It’s also a piece of Ben that they can share, symbolizing their shared love and mourning.
Ben’s Boxes
The boxes that Elsie and Susan pack with Ben’s things after his funeral are symbolic of healing. After Ben dies, Elsie leaves all of his things untouched in their home. She doesn’t want to move any of his belongings because she doesn’t want to lose him again or forget him. However, with Susan’s help, she eventually packs all of Ben’s things away to protect her own heart. Susan takes a more pragmatic approach to this process than Elsie. She divides Ben’s things into categories, creating some “boxes for keeping, some for giving away, and [...] another for trash” (222). Her attitude helps Elsie emotionally distance herself from what she’s doing and see their packing project as a necessary part of grieving and healing from her loss.
Indeed, after the “boxes are mostly packed” (236), Elsie feels relieved. The process has not been as difficult as she thought, and her space starts to feel like her own again. This is why she loads the boxes into her car and takes them to the Goodwill immediately after Susan leaves; she wants to continue the process of moving beyond her sorrow. She has an emotional response to this decision, showing that healing is not as simple as packing one’s emotions away, but it remains a crucial part of her healing journey. Once she begins to pack up and throw out Ben’s things, she is better able to see herself beyond the context of his death.
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By Taylor Jenkins Reid
