59 pages • 1 hour read
Sarah PerryThe Essex Serpent
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2016A 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
The Essex Serpent
The eponymous Essex Serpent is the most symbolic presence in the book, even if it does not technically exist. There are three distinct versions of the Essex Serpent: the dead fish that washes up on the shore, the boat that belonged to Banks and was lost on the estuary, and the mythological creature that only existed in the minds of the villagers. There are distinct symbolic means attached to all three.
The first Serpent discovered by the people of Aldwinter helps to dismiss the notion that the creature was real. When a dead fish (likely to be a large oarfish) washes up on the shore of the estuary, a terrible smell permeates the village. When the villagers investigate, they find that their serpentine threat is little more than a harmless fish. When its gut is kicked, it splits open and reveals a tangle of tapeworms, who have been starving the creature from the inside out. The dead fish is a metaphor for the villagers’ belief. Like their beliefs, the fish has been starved of nutrition. As they have turned away from Will’s teachings and come to doubt him, they have moved further away from logic and reason. The dead fish is a reminder to the people of the importance of both of these things and, by the end of the novel, the doubt surrounding Will has disappeared. Even if the villagers are vaguely aware of Will’s adulterous behavior, they are willing to overlook this because he implored them not to change their beliefs (and was vindicated) when the threat of the Serpent appeared.
The boat carries a different meaning. Unlike the fish, which is wild and mysterious (and dead), the boat is familiar (and was never alive). After being lost, it has returned to the shores of Aldwinter. Banks himself experiences this return twice: The boat bearing his wife’s name comes back, and Naomi returns to him after running away. The boat also becomes the vehicle by which Stella plans to launch herself into the estuary. Stella understands the symbolic meaning of the boat; it is able to provide resolution to the worries and the fears of the town. Stella does not have to sacrifice herself, as she believes, but instead a simple acknowledgement of the true nature of the boat is enough to begin to repair many of the damages that have been done by the fear of the Serpent.
Finally, the mythological version of the Essex Serpent is the one packed with the most metaphorical meaning. Due to its very nature, the metaphorical meaning of the Serpent can change depending on the character in question. It does not exist, so its meaning is nebulous, taking the form of whatever belief the character projects on to the serpent in that moment. For Cora, the Serpent represents the power of faith and the idea that there could be something hidden in a thoroughly documented world. For Will, it represents a ridiculous threat to the order of his small community. To Banks, it represents the sensation of grief he has experienced after losing his wife (and later his daughter). Each of these meanings is different but each of them is valid; because the Serpent does not exist, its true metaphorical meaning for the characters cannot be quantified. For the audience, then, the metaphor becomes clear: The Essex Serpent becomes the canvas on which each character paints their own personal fears. Whether it is fear of the unknown, fear of chaos, or fear of being alone, the Essex Serpent comes to represent them all.
World’s End
In a similar vein to the Essex Serpent itself, one of the buildings in Aldwinter is packed with metaphorical meaning. World’s End is the home of Cracknell, and it is the last house encountered before one reaches the estuary. It serves as a final beacon of humanity before civilization fades away. The frequent mention of World’s End also functions as a motif, as its gradual decline mirrors the growing fear among the villagers and the disintegration of reason and order among the people of Aldwinter.
The function of World’s End as a metaphor can be extrapolated on name alone. The house is titled World’s End and, in conjunction with its position as the last building before the shore, it serves as the final outpost of human civilization in the rural area. To move beyond World’s End is to move beyond the known world and into the strange, unmapped, and unknown territory beyond. Characters that pass World’s End are moving beyond the Pale, subjecting themselves to the whims of the chaotic dangers that exist beyond the ordered and civilized society built by humans. Beyond is the realm of the serpent and the place where people and animals die. It is perpetually clouded in fog and surrounded by cloying dangerous mud that can suck in and kill those people who are not paying attention. The name World’s End means exactly that: It is a warning to passersby, telling them of the dangers that exist beyond the confines of the known world.
Added to this, Cracknell serves as a guardian for civilization’s last outpost. When he is first introduced to the audience, he is standing at his gatepost, skinning moles. Will treats this behavior as commonplace, so much so that it can be inferred that Cracknell does this on a regular basis. His aim is to ward away the serpent, using a paganistic ritual to scare away a creature that Will does not believe exists. Few people in the village itself perform such rituals, but out near the marshes and near the fog, Cracknell does what he can to scare off the dangers of the uncivilized and unknown world. If World’s End is the final outpost on the way to the unknown, Cracknell and his pagan defenses are the first line of defense.
However, the house becomes empty. Cracknell dies on the beach, having moved beyond World’s End to investigate strange noises that he believes to be the Serpent. Once he is gone, the house itself seems to collapse. It begins to sink into the mud. This is not only a physical act, but a metaphorical one. With the house empty and Cracknell gone, there is no longer a barrier between the great unknown and the village. The fear of the people of Aldwinter grows, and the Serpent itself takes on a more threatening aura. Without World’s End and Cracknell to protect them, the people suddenly feel exposed. This ratifies and reinforces the home’s metaphorical meaning.
Treasures
Few items carry more emotional weight than Francis’ treasures—an eclectic collection of objects, including everything from coins to buttons to bird feathers. Each one is carefully selected and carries a different emotional meaning. When Francis is heading to a funeral, for example, he carefully curates the treasures that will best express the emotions he expects to feel. In this sense, they function as a private discourse, a secret language of emotion that Francis has invented for himself.
To that end, Francis does try and explain his language to people. After interacting with adults, he finds himself handing over (or not, in the case of one meeting with Will) certain treasures. Each one carries an emotional meaning that represents the interaction that Francis has just enjoyed with a person. Though he never explains the specific meaning, it remains up to the person to figure it out. Most adults happily go along with this, assuming it to be a game that they do not quite understand. As Francis makes very clear, however, the collection of treasures and the sharing of treasures carries a significant metaphorical meaning and is far more than just a game. Both Cora and Martha understand this importance, even if they do not understand the language itself. As such, they indulge Francis and allow him to continue his game.
There is one adult who seems to understand Francis’ treasures. Stella not only understands what Francis is trying to accomplish, but she begins a similar collection of her own. As she falls prey to consumption and her condition weakens, Stella begins to search for her own language with which to communicate. She settles on the color blue and, soon enough, her home is filled with blue objects that contain specific metaphorical meanings like Francis’ treasures. When he witnesses this behavior, Francis recognizes a master. Stella is not just someone who appreciates what he is trying to accomplish, but she is someone who can speak his language (to a higher level, even). He and Stella bond over their collections of treasures and find in each other kindred souls.
This is important for Francis, as the relationship he experiences with Stella allows him to open up emotionally. Throughout the novel, the motif of the treasures has typically been used to indicate Francis’ attempts to share emotional moments and metaphorical meanings with people. It has typically failed, but when he begins to share treasures with Stella, he opens up a new emotional dialect. He becomes better able to talk to others in a traditional manner. By the end of the novel, he is interacting with Cora just like a normal mother and son. The two grow closer, and Cora seems comfortable enough with Francis’ new emotional intelligence that she has no qualms about sending him away to boarding school. The bond between Stella and Francis and the sharing of their treasures becomes one of the key moments of resolution in the text, allowing Francis to finally grow and communicate his emotions to others.
