52 pages • 1 hour read
Stone Cold Fox
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Symbols & Motifs
Bea’s Mother’s Book
Bea’s mother’s book is about a rabbit who runs away from his mother, but his mother always finds him. Bea’s mother reads this book to Bea in moments when she is trying to show affection, though Bea knows the affection is always short-lived. Bea sees the book as a threat, representing her mother’s endless pursuit of Bea, as well as the lengths to which her mother goes to restrain Bea, such as bringing the frightening man to their home. Even though the book, for Bea, is about a child who cannot escape their parent, the book serves as a symbol of Bea’s mother’s love for Bea, which she struggles to express. Bea’s mother is obsessed with her games of deception and manipulation, but she always tries to involve Bea as part of a “team,” which, for Bea’s mother, is the ultimate sign of affection, letting someone else participate in her schemes. The book, then, is a way for Bea’s mother to assure Bea that she will never be alone or excluded from those schemes.
This symbol recurs at the end of the novel, as Bea’s mother sends a copy of the book to Bea as a baby shower gift. The ending is ominous for Bea, as the book represents the threat that her mother might show up in her life again at any time, much like the mother in the book itself. However, looking at the book as a symbol of Bea’s mother’s struggle to express love and affection, the ending takes on a more complicated meaning, as Bea’s mother is not pursuing Bea with nefarious intent but struggling to overcome the barriers between mother and daughter. The dynamic of the book is shifting, as well, as Bea and Syl begin planning to track down their mother, reversing the pattern of the rabbit and their mother.
Collin’s Persona
Bea’s interest in Collin is explicitly conditional, with frequent notes regarding Collin’s wealth and kindness offset by moments in which Bea is embarrassed or turned off by Collin’s behavior. This pattern forms a motif in the novel, as Collin’s behavior serves to highlight Bea’s disinterest in Collin as a person, refocusing the novel on Bea’s ambitious pursuit of the Case family’s money. For example, when Collin orders snacks, watches TV in bed, or speaks colloquially to friends, Bea expresses embarrassment. A key moment in Bea’s understanding of Collin is his use of the term “best friend,” which she thinks is childish. The term is then repeated with Wren, emphasizing how Bea is likely the person with an unreasonable standard of behavior, not Collin. Bea realizes this when she becomes pregnant, seeing how Collin’s excitement, which she struggles to understand, is likely the more understandable reaction to the news.
As such, Collin’s embarrassing moments, in Bea’s mind, both remind the reader that Bea does not love Collin and bring Collin down from the pedestal of wealth, framing him as a typical man with a lot of money. Collin’s depression, about which Bea appears legitimately concerned, serves this same purpose, as Bea thinks about how Collin is not attractive because of his despondent behavior, which even pushes Bea to consider an extramarital affair. It also makes Collin relatable, reminding readers that wealth cannot solve every issue. In Stone Cold Fox, moments in which Bea seems embarrassed by Collin serve as highlights of how Bea differs from those around her, rather than evidence of Collin’s difference.
The Comparison of Bea and Her Mother
Bea’s relationship with her mother is complicated, and its lasting effects on Bea’s identity and behavior are palpable throughout the novel. Bea’s internal conflict with her perceived similarities to her mother is expressed in the motif of Bea thinking of “her,” using the third-person feminine pronoun as a stand-in for “my mother.” Bea’s avoidance of the term “my mother” emphasizes her desire to distance herself from her mother, specifically the behaviors and desires her mother expressed during Bea’s childhood. Often, Bea catches herself wanting to confront someone or explode in a situation, and she must remind herself not to be like “her,” noting how her mother would need to move from man to man because of her outbursts and whims. When Bea refuses to directly kill Gale, both while strangling Gale and by deciding not to help her mother burn down Gale’s building, Bea sees her actions are irrefutable evidence that she is not like “her,” establishing her own identity separate from her mother.
This motif becomes additionally potent when Bea discovers she is pregnant, as she is forced to reconcile the parenting style of her own mother with her lack of interest in children. Bea wonders if she is even capable of loving a child, noting how some similarities she shares with her mother may be unavoidable. Further, Bea worries that her child will be like “her,” just as Bea worries about herself. References to “her” in the text serve to highlight the impact of Bea’s mother’s abuses on Bea’s life, in which Bea is forced to constantly evaluate her thoughts, feelings, and actions against the template of her mother’s behavior, and this paradigm continues into Bea’s motherhood.
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