When We Had Wings

“It was as if Manila was opening its arms to her, as if the island on which it lay yearned to soothe the ache of having lost what had never been hers, that it was already promising it would.”

The personification of Manila as giving Eleanor a comforting hug illustrates her need to escape the humiliation of revealing her feelings to John Olson. Her initial impression of the island emphasizes the ironic expectation that it will be a peaceful respite from the drama of her former life.

“But as they parted ways, she felt the recurrent burden that never failed to accompany such compliments. For when it came to the devotion and selflessness of her job, in all truth, she remained an imposter.”

Lita’s guilt over the assumption that she has the qualities traditionally associated with nurses mirrors the guilt she feels over her argument with her mother. In addition, Lita’s sense of herself as an imposter represents the extent to which nursing feels like an obligation. It foreshadows her development as a character, in which she comes to realize what she loves about caring for others.

“She’d taken her wedding ring off before leaving Texas, but the truth was there for all the world to see: Lieutenant Penny Franklin had once been married but no longer was. And of the assumptions that always came with that realization.”

Here, Penny refers to the “ghost tan line” on her finger that indicates the absence of her wedding ring. Metaphorically, this represents her feelings of grief over Sam’s death that are invisible to others but remain with her. Socially, it connects to gender expectations, the way people perceive her, and the assumptions they make that she’s divorced, which was still taboo at that time.