Samantha answers “Animals seem to be a constant on this...”

Mª Magdalena asked this question about Life After Life (Todd Family, #1):

Animals seem to be a constant on this book, sometimes they're crucial to the development of Ursula's life. The rabbits, foxes and dogs in Fox (FOX!) Corner keep dying and living as Ursula does. Also, many many times characters are compared to certain animals, or called after them. My question is why this insistance on animals? Why is this important for Atkinson?

Samantha The frequent animal motifs and symbolism piqued my interest as well. At one point Atkinson writes that foxes are both hunters and the hunted. I think …moreThe frequent animal motifs and symbolism piqued my interest as well. At one point Atkinson writes that foxes are both hunters and the hunted. I think this adds to the overall circulatory idea of the book. Like the fox, at times Ursula is a hunter, making decisions and deciding her own fate. And other times she is hunted and falls prey to destiny.

I kept thinking that the naming of the family home of "Fox Corner" had to have some symbolism that I wasn't picking up on.

As for Sylvie choosing the name Ursula, or "Little Bear", that made me think of a protective, Mama Bear symbol. Ursula makes it her goal to protect her family, protect Nancy, protect the entire world from Hitler's destruction. She is a courageous and fierce mother bear protecting those that she loves.

Dogs are also clearly important to Atkinson, but again, I don't feel that I fully grasped what she was trying to convey with them.(less)

flag

View 1 comment

About Goodreads Q&A

Ask and answer questions about books!

You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.

See Featured Authors Answering Questions

Learn more