Still Life

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2021

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-2

Chapters 3-4

Chapters 5-6

Chapters 7-8

Chapter 9

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Book Club Questions

Symbols & Motifs

Trees

In this novel, trees are symbolic of the beauty of nature and the possibility of human communion with nature. Cress first experiences the sublimity of trees in his communion with the cherry blossom tree in London. Cherry blossoms are not native to London, and the beauty of the tree represents hope in an otherwise gritty and grey city torn by World War II. Cress treats the tree as a confidant; he trusts it with questions that he can’t express to people. The tree teaches him how to extend his love for nature to his life with other people. In Italy, Cress finds another tree to commune with: the citrus tree at the pensione. When Cress dies, his loved ones bring his ashes into nature so he can grow into a tree, fulfilling his bond with nature. Trees in this novel are specifically connected to Cress’s character development, but they are also a testament to natural beauty and cyclic nature of life. Unlike war, cities, and art, natural beauty was not created by humans and, therefore, cannot be completely destroyed by humans. It’s not a juxtaposition to the beauty of art, which is also symbolic in this novel, but it’s a counterpoint, another source of beauty that requires openness instead of analysis.

Art

The importance of art is highlighted in the title of this novel. Still Life as a title refers to still life portraiture. Still life portraits distill the grandiosity of life into minute details that are often overlooked. Still life portraits focus on subjects like bowls of fruit because the intention of still life is to home in on the small yet meaningful things in life that people often take for granted. This is an overarching metaphor in the novel, as each character learns to appreciate the small things of life. Because art is created for others to appreciate, it connects people across cultures and times. Art is one of humanity’s way of making its mark on the world and of sharing emotions and ideas. The significance of art on culture in the novel is heightened by Italy’s artistic heritage: Several paintings and sculptors are highlighted in this novel as symbolic of Italian history. The characters interpret the same seminal Italian artworks in different but related ways, showing the subtlety of art’s communication. The artworks in the novel inspire characters to see beauty in themselves and show compassion to themselves and others.

Italy

Italy is both a setting and a symbol in this novel. In Italy, characters discover the fully realized versions of themselves. For this reason, Italy is posited as a foil to England. Italy is depicted as bright and colorful while England is depicted as drab and dreary. In England, characters face stasis; in Italy, characters undergo significant development. Italy has conservative values that are institutionalized by their Catholicism, but Italy is nevertheless freer than England, at least for the expatriate characters. All three characters who move to Italy learn Italian and ingratiate themselves to their neighborhood by adapting to their culture. They create a home as expatriates, emphasizing their own union as a chosen family in a chosen home. Evelyn Skinner’s narrative is also intrinsically tied to Italy, as Italy represents love throughout her life: Her first love is Italy and is home to her first love, Livia. Peggy also finds refuge in Italy. Once Peggy makes the move to Italy, her life changes for the better. She develops a closer relationship with her daughter, falls in love with a truly good man, and starts a singing career. Italy is therefore the symbolic place for achieving dreams.