Invisible Girl: A Novel

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2010

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Prologue-Part 1, Chapter 12

Part 1, Chapters 13-25

Part 2, Chapters 26-40

Part 2, Chapters 41-50

Part 2, Chapter 51-Part 3

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

Foxes

Traditionally, foxes represent healing and trust—a motif Lisa Jewell incorporates throughout her narrative. Saffyre first feels drawn to Josh, when she sees a fox approach him at the building site and eat out of his hand. This moment gives Saffyre an inexpressible feeling of hope because it feels completely ethereal and otherworldly. Saffyre decides to trust Josh because of this image of him, even though she overhears a conversation between him and his friend that seems ominous—a contrast that allows Jewell to mimic the inner tension Saffyre feels as she wonders whether her instincts can be trusted. Jewell continues the fox motif when Saffyre returns to the building site and feeds the fox chicken nuggets. She has an out of body experience in which she believes that the fox is a conduit for her relatives who have died. Saffyre speaks to the fox like it is her one of her relatives, and this moment allows for Saffyre to release her grief and begin to heal, even though she knows she will always grieve the loss of her family.

Incel Forums

Throughout Owen’s arc, incel forums function as a motif for The Psychological Impact of Loneliness. Owen decides to spend time on incel forums after his suspension because the increased loneliness and isolation he feels pushes him toward anger—a reaction that he sees nurtured and justified in the incel forums. As Detective Currie points out, Owen posts several hateful comments on the forums that expressly outline violence against women—Owen sees this kind of internet trolling as a harmless outlet for his anger, separate from physical violence. Owen tells Detective Currie that he does not want to hurt women, but his comments suggest a slippery slope between word and action. Owen eventually rejects the incel forums because he realizes that they ultimately exacerbate his anger and loneliness, rather than assuaging it. Owen realizes that he wants to find support and connection in meaningful community rather than online trolling.

Alicia’s Valentine’s Day Card

Alicia’s Valentine’s Day card is a motif that signals The Disconnect Between Perception and Reality, specifically regarding Roan. As soon as Alicia’s card arrives at the Fours’ rental, a cycle of lying and manipulation ensues. Josh takes the card to confront Roan about his infidelity, but Roan responds to Josh’s directness with lies and emotional manipulation, taking advantage of Josh’s desire to believe his father and preserve their relationship. Instead of being honest with Cate, Roan replaces Alicia’s card with a fake card from a client named Molly, deepening the deception. Roan’s manipulation of the truth gaslights Cate into distrusting her own instincts. In this way, Alicia’s card becomes of symbol of the lengths to which Roan will go to protect the appearance of a loving and devoted husband, hiding the reality of his infidelity.

Rohypnol

Jewell positions Rohypnol as a symbol of misogyny and the violent threat that women live under in their daily lives. Jewell emphasizes the prevalence of sexual assault against women throughout the novel, especially in the rising number of sexual assault cases in the Fours’ new neighborhood. The date-rape drugs that Bryn gives Owen represent the pervasive reality of sexual assault in women’s lives and its connection to misogynistic dominance and images of toxic masculinity. Even though Owen does not intend to use the date-rape drugs himself, their presence in his room signals the constant threat of sexual violence against women and ultimately implicates him in Saffyre’s disappearance. At the start of Owen’s arc, he characterizes the rejection of several women in the narrative as irrational, but Jewell’s narrative encourages the reader to think critically about these interactions, reframing them through Owen’s own perspective as his arc progresses and he begins to grow and evolve as a character. Owen’s male privilege allows him to walk through the world without the constant threat of violence, whereas the women in the narrative do not have that privilege.