Flock

The Ravenhood society’s tattoos are symbolic of brotherhood. Every male member in the group has the same raven tattoo. When Cecelia Horner first asks Sean Roberts about what the tattoos mean, he says to think of them “as a promise” (50). The tattoos are a way for the Ravenhood to outwardly claim its members and to show their connection and loyalty to each other. The tattoos are thus a sign of their fraternity and a symbolic oath to the society itself.

Triple Falls, a remote town located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, is a symbol of change. When Cecelia arrives in the rural town she knows that her life is going to be different. Because Triple Falls is a big contrast to suburban Peachtree City, Cecelia gains distance from the person she used to be during her time in Triple Falls. The town offers her the opportunity to reinvent herself, to form new relationships, and to experiment in ways that she never felt confident to in the past. In these ways, Cecelia’s life in Triple Falls catalyzes her character’s evolution.

Horner Technologies is symbolic of corruption. Cecelia’s father Roman Horner owns the Fortune 500 company, which used to deal “in chemicals but now manufactures electronics” (11). Its “primary manufacturing plant” is located in Triple Falls and employs many of the local citizens (11). Shortly after Cecelia begins working here, she realizes how unjust and imbalanced the plant operations are. The employees are often forced to work grueling hours doing repetitive, tedious work in extreme conditions. She then learns that the company is shorting employees’ paychecks and has made no effort to mitigate the issue. Then Sean reveals that the company might be responsible for killing Dominic King’s parents, two former employees. These dynamics capture how corporate greed might inspire illicit, corrupt behaviors and disempower workers without repercussions.

The pool at Cecelia’s house is symbolic of renewal. When Cecelia is swimming, she gains perspective on her life and herself. Water is archetypally symbolic of cleansing and new life. Therefore, when Cecelia is in the pool she is better able to make sense of what she wants and feels. The pool makes her feel free to make her own choices and explore her identity.

The Ravenhood members’ cars are symbolic of power. Almost all the men involved in the Ravenhood own vintage designer cars that they’ve fixed up at Dominic’s garage, King’s Automotive. They make a show of driving the cars recklessly and racing each other in the dark on dangerous mountain roads. These vehicles grant the Ravenhood members a sense of dominance and station and are an extension of their egos.

The romance novels that Dominic buys for Cecelia are symbolic of care. Cecelia is shocked to see that he’s stocked his bookshelf with her favorite titles and authors because Dominic isn’t usually demonstrative about his feelings for her. The books illustrate Dominic’s deepening investment in Cecelia and his genuine care for her as an individual.

Several times, Sean and Dominic play songs that signal their seeming humiliation and manipulation of Cecelia in their relationship. Just before the threesome on the float in Chapter 25, Cecelia is furious to hear that Sean is playing Bob Seger’s “Night Moves,” on the car stereo—a song about a summer fling that is primarily about physical attraction and mutual exploitation. Later in the novel, just before Sean and Dominic break up with her in Chapter 37, Cecelia feels mortified when she notices they’re blasting “Afternoon Delight” by Starland Vocal Band, and “Cecilia” By Simon & Garfunkel. “Afternoon Delight” is about the pleasure of sex in the afternoon; it implies that while the sexual encounter is welcome, it is also fleeting and not tied to any lingering feelings. “Cecilia,” a metaphor about inspiration, is on its face a complaint about a woman who has betrayed the singer by abandoning him for another man’s bed. These songs embarrass Cecelia and make her feel used by Sean and Dominic; the messages they send underscore the depth of communication breakdown between the trio.