Where Butterflies Wander

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of child death and mental illness.

The family estate is a symbol of How Memory Shapes the Present. The house that Marie’s grandfather lived in is a relic of the past. It remains as stately as ever, with Georgian columns, “wide-plank dark wood floors, a sweeping staircase, [and] a giant iron chandelier overhead” (21). It is preserved just as Marie remembers it from her childhood and still filled with all her grandfather’s old belongings. Marie remains emotionally attached to the home because it carries the memories of her past and her loved ones, and Leo wonders why Marie cannot apply this same logic to the home they lived in with Bee. Marie only sees the property as an opportunity for a fresh start and is troubled by her memories and sense of attachment: She wants to reduce the house to a means to an end.

The cabin on the property symbolizes the ties of love and moral responsibility. Because Marie’s grandfather gave Davina the cabin on the property, Marie’s efforts become riddled with setbacks. Davina is deeply attached to the cabin because it is where she lived with Rosalinda, her second mother.