The Beach Pictures Symbol Analysis

Because Eilis eventually sees the pictures of her and Jim on the beach as the only part of their relationship that she’ll be able to keep, the pictures themselves symbolize her attempt to hold on to certain parts of her past. When she finally decides to return to Brooklyn to be with Tony, she finds these photographs in her bedroom and almost rips them up. Before doing so, though, she decides to slip them into her luggage, knowing that one day she will look at these pictures and recall what she now knows will seem like little more than “a strange, hazy dream.” This suggests that Eilis struggles with the idea of leaving behind her life in Ireland, which she fears will someday feel distant and unreal. Consequently, she does everything she can to preserve this time period in her mind, wishing that she could live out two existences at once: one with Tony and one with Jim. Because this is impossible, though, she clings to these small mementos, which she treasures as permanent reminders of a fleeting moment in her life.