Bear

The house, which the sisters’ late grandmother purchased in 1979, has a shifting meaning as the novel progresses. Being able to afford the house was a source of pride for their grandmother, symbolizing the family’s incremental climb toward middle-class status. Owning a home symbolized success and proved that the family was financially stable and secure. As the only house that the sisters have ever lived in, it represents the love of their mother and grandmother and their strong familial bond. When their mother recalls how her mother, the sisters’ grandmother, died in the house, Sam understands how the house is a kind of cornerstone in their family legacy: Their mother also dies there, reinforcing how traditions—both good and painful ones—pass down through the generations. The house is a safe haven from the outside world, protecting the sisters and their mother protected from those who, in Sam’s estimation, don’t understand them or could cause them harm. When their mother’s abusive boyfriend temporarily lived there, his presence symbolically tarnished the house, making it unsafe for a time.

Sam points out the ways in which the house is currently in poor physical condition; it needs repairs that the family can’t afford. However, because the land on which it sits is coveted, it contains untapped value and potential. Therefore, Sam regards selling the house as the key to a better life: When the house is sold, she and Elena can afford to leave the island and obtain better jobs, thus improving their lives overall. Ironically, this can’t occur until their mother’s death. However, Elena eventually discloses to Sam that she had to take out a second mortgage on the house and that it’s thus no longer a source of untapped wealth for them. She also reveals that she doesn’t—and never truly did—share Sam’s dream of leaving the island, viewing it as a futile, unrealistic goal. To Elena, the house became a burden—an additional drain on their finances.