Snails

[isabelleansberry]

Throughout the book, Marie-Laure has a big interest in snails. What do you think the authors purpose was to make Marie-Laure so interested in snails? What did the snails symbolize to Marie-Laure's character?

[zevgreen]

I personally think that the snails are symbolic because the French are known for eating snails, so the snails help underline the difference between French culture versus the occupying German culture.

[iancernitz]

Marie-Laure’s interest in snails caught my attention early on as well. I do believe the snails symbolize something greater and could even symbolize Marie herself. Whelks and other mollusks Marie-Laure finds in the kennel in Saint-Malo are equipped with tough outer shells to fend off predators. Marie may share a similar characteristic in her strong, willful and constantly hopeful personality. The “predators” in Marie-Laure’s case however are the Germans and the war. Whelks are also shoreline dwellers and Marie’s fascination with the ocean seems to correspond. A final similarity between Marie-Laure and mollusks is that mollusks also must slowly navigate the world with touch and instinct.