60 pages • 2 hours read
Once Upon a River
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Symbols & Motifs
Photographs
At the time of the novel, photography is in its infancy, reliant on chemicals and long exposures. There is a community-wide fascination with this new technology. This sense of novelty allows Daunt to serve as a documentarian, traveling to take pictures of the parties involved in the novel’s various mysteries. Photographs serve as evidence to the novel’s events, preserving moments and people beyond what was previously possible. Ultimately, Daunt’s photography allows them to solve the mystery of Amelia Vaughan’s kidnapping and uncover Victor Nash’s villainy.
Daunt’s photographs begin as exercises in capturing the human experience, ranging from Robert’s work as a farmer to a local wishing well. He exposes his emotions through his photography as he photographs Rita, collecting images of her as he explores his growing love. These pictures serve as evidence of his feelings; likewise, his other pictures become evidence in the mystery of Amelia’s fate. Daunt transforms his photos into a persuasive call for information. With the pictures providing logos to his presentation, he leads the community in the direction of uncovering Victor’s identity.
The River
The Thames River serves as two different symbols within the text. First and foremost, it symbolizes stories. Second, it represents death.
Firstly, the narrator compares a river’s flow to the natural movement of language in storytelling. The narrator points out their similarities when discussing their beginnings, stating, “And there was more: what we see on a map is only the half of it. A river no more begins at its source than a story begins with the first page. [...] The beginning of the Thames is not the beginning—or, rather, it is only to us that it seems like a beginning” (58). The narrator outlines that everything has context beyond the confines of what is seen or heard. Later, the author notes that some stories should be “known only to the two parties to whom it belonged and the river” (247), which makes the river itself central to knowledge and states of knowing. This culminates at the end of the novel when the narrator dismisses the reader back to their own rivers. By directly addressing the reader but continuing the metaphor of stories as rivers, the narrator creates a metafictional moment that invites the reader to reflect on the flow of the narratives taking place in the real world.
Secondly, rivers are used to symbolize death. Quietly’s presence represents the passage from life to death as he travels from one side of the river to the other. He often appears when characters are close to death. As Joe prepares to die, he tells Rita that “[t]here will—always be—the river” to explain why he won’t miss the Thames in the afterlife (311). Historical mythology often places rivers at the center of death. In various cultures, they play an integral part in the transition between life and death. This connection adds to the perception of Quietly as a mythological harbinger of death.
Because the river is simultaneously death and stories, there are natural parallels to the stories that end with death and the stories that begin with life. Rivers, stories, and the cycle of life are thus shown to be interconnected through the symbology of water’s movement.
Food/Feeding
Food is presented at varying levels of accessibility within the novel. There are multiple examples of characters being starved or nearly starved as those who have authority over them restrict their access to food. Robin’s wife is prevented from eating by her abusive landlady. Ben, too, is starved by his father. Victor eats Lily’s food and criticizes what she has, demanding sweets. These methods of abuse are both physical and psychological, imposing a sense of control over the victims.
In contrast, there are places and moments where food is given frequently and joyously. Margot insists on feeding people at the Swan; the Armstrong household, too, is plentiful. The gift of food thus becomes a symbol of love and support. Events in which food is plentiful and given without restriction are moments of healing, collectiveness, and community. In contrast, places that are absent of food are absent of positive emotional connectivity. The characters experiencing neglect must overcome these barriers before they are free to find communities that support their growth.
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