58 pages • 1 hour read
Kristin HannahNight Road
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2011A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Jude’s Garden
One of the novel’s key symbols in Night Road is Jude’s garden, which represents Jude’s sense of control and her abilities as a mother. In Part 1, Jude spends much of her time pruning and perfecting her garden, shaping it into a beautiful space that brings her peace and gratification. She loves working in her garden because she can control its appearance, ripping out what doesn’t fit and replacing it with something better. Jude’s garden is so beautiful that she considers entering it into a local competition, further illustrating her skill and tenacity in this area of her life. The fact that her garden blooms in June reflects her children’s eventual graduation; just as the flowers bloom, Mia and Zach blossom into successful teenagers who have also been shaped and controlled by Jude. Jude’s attitude toward her garden matches her attitude about being a mother. She feels that the more control that she has over her twins’ lives, the more successful they will be. Kristin Hannah draws attention to the irony relating to the garden symbol: Jude’s power as a mother is much more limited than her power over her garden. Regardless, Jude values her garden and finds peace in manipulating it into what she wants, just as she thinks she can with her family.
Mia’s death proves how little control Jude has over her children, however, and in Part 2, Jude’s garden becomes overgrown out of neglect. What was once beautiful and orderly is now ugly and chaotic. The garden’s chaos reflects Jude’s lack of control over her life, grief, and family after Mia’s death. The once-pristine garden now sits untouched and uncared for, withering away just as Jude’s family is. When Lexi returns to the Farradays’ house after being released from prison, she notices Jude’s garden and the mess that it has become, which helps her to understand Jude’s state of mind. Once Jude begins to heal and fix the damage that she has caused to her family, she wakes one morning and notices her garden, but instead of being saddened by its chaotic state, Jude sees its beauty. This moment shows that Jude can accept a world without Mia and even find joy in it. Jude appreciates her new garden to the point that she intentionally throws wildflower seeds into it, looking forward to what might grow as a result. This act shows Jude’s willingness to release such tight control on her life and find beauty in whatever happens. She has learned that she can be a great mother without controlling everything within her family, allowing her to find contentment despite difficult circumstances.
Mia’s Ring
Jude buys Mia a ring as a graduation gift in Chapter 7, and it symbolizes Jude’s healing process after Mia’s death. Hannah describes it as “a perfect combination of edgy and sophisticated, modern and timeless. The shape [is] slightly asymmetrical, with a triangular flap on the top edge. The artist must have somehow wrapped heated metal around a form and then twisted it just enough to give the wide band a fun little tail. The empty jewel prong was also slightly off center” (90). Initially, Jude thinks that the ring will represent Mia’s passage into adulthood, with its temporal shifts of “modern and timeless” and its twists and turns. After Mia’s untimely death, the ring’s significance changes. This is especially true of the “empty jewel prong.” When Jude buys the ring, she intends to take Mia shopping to choose a gem to put in the prongs, thinking that a pink diamond would perfectly reflect Mia’s personality and complement the ring’s beauty. After Mia’s death, Jude carries the ring with her and looks at it with heavy grief, knowing its empty prongs will remain so. However, Miles takes the ring and places a pink diamond in the prongs, knowing Jude’s initial idea. This action allows Miles to show Jude how much he loves her and is there to support her healing process. Miles gives Jude the ring with its diamond after she welcomes Lexi back into the family. Jude then takes the ring with her when she visits Mia for the first time which further demonstrates the ring’s symbolism of her healing journey. She can now look at the ring without pain and use it to remember her daughter and her relationship with her husband.
The Thermos
The Ninja Turtle Thermos that Zach, Mia, and Lexi bury in the sand on the Farradays’ beach represents their love for each other and the bond they share throughout high school. Each of the teenagers places a small object in the Thermos: Mia contributes a set of expensive gold earrings, Zach puts in his Saint Christopher medal, and Lexi puts in the friendship bracelet that Mia made her during sophomore year. By placing these beloved objects into the Thermos, they create a time capsule, which allows Zach and Lexi to reconnect and carry on in their relationship despite Mia’s death. When the teenagers bury the Thermos, they promise never to say goodbye and always love each other. At the time, the teenagers thought that this meant they would stay friends despite having to separate for college. A thermos keeps liquid hot in cold conditions, so this object reflects the preservation of their love during separation. However, because of Mia’s death before graduation, the Thermos’ meaning shifts and serves as a way for Lexi and Zach to remember their bond with Mia. When Lexi decides to move to Florida, she wants to dig up the Thermos, knowing that she must break her promise and say goodbye to the Farradays. Zach, however, anticipates Lexi’s plan and digs up the Thermos before she can. This allows him to talk to Lexi and remind her about their promise, thus allowing them to reunite and be a family with Grace. Ultimately, Zach and Lexi reinforce their promise with Mia and rebury the Thermos. This seals their relationship and memories of Mia, and they go home together to start fresh and live happily.
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