70 pages • 2 hours read
Beth O'LearyThe Flatshare
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2019A 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
Post-it Notes
Content Warning: The source text and this guide include discussion of emotional abuse and manipulative behavior in relationships.
Post-it notes are the clearest physical symbol of how Leon and Tiffy’s relationship grows over time. Their correspondence starts when Tiffy bakes something and leaves a note telling Leon that he can have some. From there, they begin to leave notes to each other frequently. Soon, Post-its cover every surface of their flat, sometimes even in layers. If they were to go back and read every note in chronological order, they would see their tones grow from polite and tentative, to friendly and funny, to flirty, and finally, to romantic and personal. Leon even proposes to Tiffy by writing her a note because that is the mode of communication that brought them together and is so unique to their story, which is founded on Building Trust and Intimacy Through Unconventional Means.
Post-its connote casual communication; they are often used to jot reminders to oneself or very short messages to others. They also contrast sharply with the grand gestures Justin uses to try to win Tiffy over again. The sticky notes are humble and inexpensive yet colorful, reflecting both Leon’s practicality and Tiffy’s sense of whimsy. Most importantly, they allow each character’s words to speak for themselves.
Flowers
While giving someone flowers is usually meant as a gesture of love and appreciation, they usually have a negative connotation in the context of The Flatshare. Justin sends Tiffy a huge bouquet of flowers to her flat, and instead of endearing him to her, she is creeped out that he knows where she lives and annoyed that he didn’t even write a heart-felt card, just a note saying that he would see her in October. She feels it is typical of him to give an expensive gift that lacks genuine feeling. Each time Tiffy receives large bouquets from Justin, they represent his insincerity.
Toward the end of the novel, at Katherin’s book party, Katherin gives Tiffy a huge bouquet of flowers just before Justin gets on stage and proposes to her. She is still carrying them when she leaves and finds that the smell of the lilies is suffocating her and the pollen is staining her dress. In this way, the flowers symbolize the way Justin’s abuse is imprinted on her: His controlling nature is likewise suffocating, and like a stain, it’s hard to remove the impact of his words and treatment of her.
When Leon comes to apologize to Tiffy for not answering her calls and thinking she’d accepted Justin’s proposal, he tells her that he got her flowers, saying, “I felt like I needed a physical symbol of the enormity of my apology” (287), but he realizes that she probably associates flowers with Justin and decides “flowers, not so good” (287). Leon realizes that Tiffy didn’t need flowers from Justin, or from him, but rather sincerity and understanding.
Johnny White
Johnny White is a minor character in The Flatshare, but he also functions as a symbol. His character connects to the theme of The Rewards of Taking Risks in Life and Love. Leon’s quest to find Mr. Prior’s Johnny White is more than an attempt to reconnect his patient with his lost love; it is a personal journey for Leon as well, highlighting his newfound motivation to step outside of his comfort zone. During his search, Leon demonstrates faith and persistence, and he learns how important it is to tell someone how you feel before it’s too late. Leon finds eight Johnny Whites and plans to visit all of them—an uncharacteristic undertaking for an introvert like Leon and thus a risk itself—but it is the one he meets with Tiffy who is the one he was looking for. Significantly, their meeting Johnny in Brighton also brings them closer together after Tiffy’s accident.
When Johnny White comes to see Mr. Prior months after Leon and Tiffy had met him, and despite indicating upon their first meeting that he didn’t want to talk about Mr. Prior, it is a sign to Leon that that he needs to do whatever it takes to be with Tiffy. If these two men can reconnect after decades apart and near the end of one of their lives, then Leon can honor their journey by taking risks of his own.
