The Cousins

The letter sent by Mildred’s lawyer that tells her four children, “You know what you did” (21), is a complex symbol, and as the story progresses, the meaning behind the cryptic one-sentence letter takes on different meanings.

At the beginning of the novel, the letter indicates that there is more to the Story siblings than meets the eye. Adam declares that he and his siblings did nothing to “justify this kind of treatment” (44), and Anders echoes this sentiment. Allison is at least willing to admit that the siblings stopped coming home as often as their mother would have liked, but even so, completely cutting off the children for something like that seems like an extreme reaction. In the beginning, the letter symbolizes the great mystery of the novel: what did the Story siblings do, and are they as innocent as they claim to be? The letter hints at the truth that will be revealed as the Story grandchildren investigate.

Of course, with the revelation of Matt’s death, the letter takes on new meaning, especially when it is revealed that the real Mildred never sent any such letter because she died. Theresa, who knows that the Story children were responsible for the death of her child, sends the letter with the assistance of Donald.