88 pages • 2 hours read
Christina Baker KlineOrphan Train
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. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Symbols & Motifs
Claddagh Cross
Vivian treasures a pewter Claddagh cross given to her by her grandmother shortly before the family immigrated to the United States when she was 7 years old. For Vivian, the cross reminds her of family and home. Vivian also treasures the meaning of the symbols on the Claddagh: the clasped hands represent friendship; the heart represents love; and the crown represents loyalty. Vivian struggles to find these qualities in her childhood.
However, the cross eventually loses value when she realizes that her grandmother paid to send her only son and his family away, because they were too much of a burden. As she says, “[A]s I get older I can’t escape the realization that the only remaining piece of my blood family comes from a woman who pushed her only son and his family out to sea in a boat, knowing full well she’d probably never see them again” (199). In essence, Vivian realizes that the grandmother who Vivian loved more than her own mother threw her away.
As a child, however, the cross symbolizes everything that Niamh believes she has left behind in Ireland: love, connection, and family. As an adult, though she continues to wear the cross, its symbolism takes on added resonance to include the ways in which Vivian allows her life to be ruled by the past, by her ghosts.
Three Charm Necklace
Molly’s necklace, with the power charms given to her by her Penobscot father, remains a powerful symbol of connection, love, and identity for Molly throughout the novel. Though her father was an alcoholic, she cherishes the message of strength and survival contained in the charms, along with the stories that he shared about each symbol’s meaning.
The fish symbolizes the power to deflect and resist other people’s magic, or influence to sway a person’s behavior. The bear inspires bravery and a fierce approach to life. The raven protects a person from black magic or spells, or in another interpretation, helps a person to see other people’s motivations or agendas.
Molly’s necklace symbolizes something wholly positive and resonant in her life. As an orphan alone in the world, she needs all the protection she can get. In addition, the symbols connect her to her Penobscot heritage, anchoring her and providing her with personal history and pride.
Turtle
Molly gets a tattoo of a turtle, illegally at age 16, as a protective symbol and as a further reminder of her father. Originally, Molly wore her Goth identity like a turtle shell; no one could get past her tough exterior.
However, over the course of the novel, the turtle symbol takes on added meaning and resonance for her. As she explains to Jack, “‘Turtles carry their homes on their backs.’ Running her finger over the tattoo, she tells him what her dad told her: ‘They’re exposed and hidden at the same time. They’re a symbol of strength and perseverance’” (88). A turtle is self-sufficient and carries his home with him. By the time that she is kicked out of the Thibodeaus, Molly understands that the turtle, like a portaging Penobscot Indian, carries his home and his identity in his heart; he doesn’t need belongings, just the knowledge and strength found in the self.
Additionally, Molly recognizes that though the turtle’s shell is a symbol of protection, it is also a hiding place. For example, Vivian lives in a protective bubble or shell—her lovely house and her money protect her from further hurt in the world—but they also keep her from living. She is protected and safe, but not really alive, when Molly arrives in her life. Molly learns from Vivian’s example, and she also helps Vivian transform her house into a positive refuge—as Vivian shares her home with Molly—rather than a place to hide from the world out of fear.
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By Christina Baker Kline
