The Fake Mate

Soup is a recurring symbol that indicates Noah and Mackenzie’s growing feelings for one another, first appearing in Noah and Mackenzie’s initial discussion on how they will carry out their fake relationship. One of the first personal details that Noah learns about Mackenzie is that soup is her favorite food. Given that soup is a mixture of otherwise unrelated elements, it can be understood as a metaphor for the melding of the protagonists’ disparate personalities into a wholesome relationship. Later, soup becomes a marker of Noah’s growing love for Mackenzie, indicating his genuine romantic interest in Mackenzie and his determination to please her.

The Boogeyman—the hospital rumor mill’s epithet for Noah—is a recurring symbol within the narrative and illustrates The Harmful Ignorance of Stereotypes and The Lasting Impact of Trauma. Born of Noah’s public reputation, “the Boogeyman of Denver General” is a nickname given to Noah after a series of misconstrued occurrences suggest that he treats his coworkers harshly; the most notable example involves an incident in which he was seen in the presence of a crying nurse. While the nurse in question was only crying because her contact ripped, the staff assumed that Noah had been the cause of her tears.