Small Spaces

The novel takes place a few days before Halloween, and multiple references are made to the holiday and the local decorations displayed for the event. In terms of the book’s themes, Halloween relates to Denying Loss, specifically the loss of departed loved ones.

In a general sense, Halloween stands as a symbol of all things scary and spooky. Pumpkins and scarecrows figure prominently in the decorative motifs for this holiday. However, the author consciously draws on the symbolism of this holiday from a much older context. Beth writes:

Jonathan was eaten up with guilt. When his mother ordered him to go out, he went. It was raining, he told me later. Very softly: a rain like cold tears […] It was nearly Samhain, which, in the Old Country, marked the turning of the year. (33)

Samhain is the Celtic name for Halloween. It once marked the dividing line between the old year and the new. According to pagan lore, this is the one night of the year when the veil between worlds is the thinnest, and the dead can communicate with the living. This mythology was co-opted by the Christian church and can still be seen in the Hispanic celebration of Dia de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead) when people leave gifts of food for departed relatives and build small altars for them.