The Leftovers

The newly erected Monument to the Departed in one of Mapleton’s parks symbolizes the permanence of loss in the lives of those grieving the departed. Kevin notes that the baby in the monument is falling, instead of flying off (24), a symbol of the arrival of grief as well as a foreshadowing of the arrival of Christine’s baby in his life. The Monument marks the place where Jason Falzone, one of the Guilty Remnant’s martyrs, is found. That his body is found there emphasizes the Guilty Remnant’s plan to stop the people of Mapleton from moving on with their normal lives following the Rapture.

While shopping, Nora finds a massage chair that makes her body feel relaxed and content. The chair symbolizes the active choices a grieving person must make in order to cope, move on, and find happiness again after loss. Nora is unsettled by the thought that the chair can make her feel good whenever she wants if she purchases it. This signals that her character is not yet ready to move on from the loss of her family, despite the effort she is putting into resuming her old life in Mapleton.