45 pages • 1 hour read
It Starts with Us
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Symbols & Motifs
Letters
Hoover uses the epistolary form throughout the novel to allow the reader to access the intimate thoughts of the main characters while maintaining narrative progress. Lily’s journals are also an epistolary tool, as they give Atlas and the reader a glimpse into Lily’s past that would otherwise be achieved through exposition and flashbacks. Having too many flashbacks in a novel can interfere with a plot’s forward movement, especially when it has a message of letting go of the past and moving toward the future.
The personal nature of letters makes them the perfect vehicle to express one’s innermost thoughts. One example is Atlas communicating in letters to Lily and unveiling his most intimate thoughts and feelings about their relationship. The epistolary form also offers the characters the opportunity to say things they are unable to say to each other. For instance, Lily’s journal entries offer Atlas a glimpse into Lily’s true feelings during their teenage romance, which she could not express to him at the time. This insight renews Lily and Atlas’s devotion to one another and gives them a second opportunity for love. Without those journals, Atlas may have never understood how Lily felt back then, and Lily would not have been able to convey her previous feelings accurately. Journal entries are powerful because they have authenticity; rather than the present coloring thoughts and feelings of the past, the journals convey those thoughts and feelings as they really were at the time. Thus, Atlas cannot have any doubt about Lily’s past feelings when he sees them written in her own hand many years before.
Letters give characters an opportunity to work through overwhelming feelings before confronting them in person. For example, Atlas turns to letters to process his emotions and express them to Lily because at first, he is overwhelmed and confused. The letter is so important in the novel that it appears as a symbol for a happy ending: Atlas asks Lily to marry him in the form of a letter and formats his wedding vows as a letter to Lily. Throughout the novel, Atlas demonstrates a willingness to unveil his deepest emotions to Lily in the epistolary form, which allows Lily and Atlas to build a relationship rooted in transparency and respect.
Cooking
As a chef and successful restaurant owner, Atlas uses cooking not only to fulfill his dreams but also to express his love and affection. Through the act of cooking and feeding those around him, Atlas embodies a nurturing spirit that allows him to connect on a deeper level in his relationships. For example, he cooks and brings lunch to Lily early in the novel as a means of seeing her again and expressing his desire to rekindle their relationship. Previously, he struggled to text Lily and share his hopes for their reunion, however, Atlas’s food offers him a vehicle through which he can communicate his complicated feelings and share his intentions. Hoover continues to develop this symbolism when portraying Atlas’s first meeting with his brother, Josh. Upon meeting Josh for the first time, Atlas invites Josh into his kitchen and cooks for him to nourish and to connect with him. As Josh eats Atlas’s cooking, the two communicate openly and commiserate over their shared childhood traumas. Previously convinced of Atlas’s abandonment of him, Josh understands Atlas’s care for him through his cooking.
The most significant moment featuring Atlas’s cooking occurs when Atlas invites his estranged mother, Sutton, to eat at his restaurant. Eager to connect with his mother, Atlas prepares Sutton coconut shrimp “because I know it’s her favorite” (287). A reminder of one of his happiest childhood memories, the coconut shrimp represents the amount of care Atlas places in his relationships. He watches his mother eat the coconut shrimp and attempts to communicate with her honestly about his hopes to protect and nurture Josh. A representation of a rare happy moment from his childhood, the coconut shrimp conveys the hope Atlas sees in his new relationship with his brother and the new family they will build together. After feeding his mother the coconut shrimp, he thanks her for the sacrifices she made as a single mother. This act of compassion and care fills his mother with tears and leads her to agree to transferring guardianship of Josh to Atlas.
Lily’s Heart Tattoo
A small heart near her shoulder, Lily’s tattoo symbolizes the indelible mark her relationship with Atlas has left on her. A symbol of affection and passion, the heart represents the deep love Atlas and Lily felt for each other from a young age. The placement of the tattoo marks a common spot where Atlas would often kiss Lily. The permanence of the tattoo is also symbolic; it illustrates the level of devotion Lily feels towards Atlas. As a physical embodiment of their love, Lily’s heart tattoo surprises Atlas, who questioned Lily’s feelings for him over the years of their separation. After seeing the tattoo, however, Atlas is unable to deny their connection. In one of his letters to Lily, Atlas asks Lily to look at her tattoo and “remember why I kissed you there the first time. Love. Discovering it, giving it, receiving it, falling in it, living in it, leaving for it” (299-300). Through this acknowledgement of the power of the tattoo’s symbolism, Atlas reveals that the meaning of the tattoo resonates not only with Lily but also with Atlas.
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By Colleen Hoover
