28 pages • 56 minutes read
Megan HunterThe End We Start From
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2017A 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
Water
From the novel’s very first page, water is a potent symbol embodying both destruction and renewal. The flooding that engulfs London symbolizes the overwhelming force of nature and the destructive power of environmental catastrophe. As the city succumbs to rising waters, buildings are submerged, lives are lost, and society is irrevocably altered. This catastrophic flood is a stark reminder of the fragility of human civilization and the consequences of environmental degradation. Parallel to the devastation wrought by the flood, the narrator’s experience of her water breaking during childbirth also carries symbolic weight, mirroring the rupturing of the flood barriers and signaling the onset of a life-altering event. Like the floodwaters that inundate the city, the narrator’s water breaking represents the onset of chaos and uncertainty.
Furthermore, the dual symbolism of water encompasses rebirth and renewal. Just as the floodwaters bring destruction, they also pave the way for new beginnings, washing away the old to make room for the new. Similarly, the narrator’s experience of childbirth represents a moment of transformation and renewal as she brings new life into a world grappling with destruction and despair. In this sense, water highlights the cyclical nature of life and the resilience of the human spirit.
Names
In the story’s first sentence, the unnamed narrator remarks that “R is up a mountain” and follows this by referencing two friends called S and J. The characters’ names—or lack thereof—are a motif that simultaneously emphasizes the universality of the human experience and the unsettling, alienating effect of a disordered world.
Names and nicknames typically signify affection and familiarity. Thus, the immediate absence of proper names feels distancing and unsettling. It reinforces the idea that if the narrator refers to her loved ones only by a singular initial, then the novel takes place in a very different world where people are isolated from one another. But as the novel progresses, this namelessness takes on a universality. The characters’ names are left to the imagination, and because initials like R, O, G, and N are common, it is easy to imagine all sorts of names as stand-ins. This universality in the context of a dystopian survival tale makes the characters’ experiences—and the threat of climate disaster—more realistic.
Through the motif of namelessness, Hunter invites readers to contemplate the nature of identity, community, and resilience in the face of adversity. By stripping her characters of individual names, she underscores the universality of human experience and emphasizes the collective nature of survival amid catastrophe.
Shelter
Shelter also emerges as a recurring motif in The End We Start From, symbolizing both physical protection and emotional refuge amid crisis. The narrator cycles through different shelters, beginning and ending with her apartment with R. The different emotions between the first and last moments in this space represent changing notions of family and comfort; ironically, the narrator is most fearful at the beginning, before the crisis, and feels more hopeful at the end despite the apartment’s poor shape. This shift highlights the narrator’s growth as a mother and her faith in their ability to raise Z in this new world.
Throughout the novel, makeshift camps, refugee centers, and other people’s homes provide varying senses of security and stability, offering temporary havens where characters can rest and regroup before venturing out into the unknown. The narrator’s difficulty in her in-laws’ home, where she must take care of everyone, contrasts sharply with O’s friend’s home on the island, where everyone lives in communal harmony and shares chores. In these instances, shelter is a microcosm representing different methods of organizing society. The in-laws' home represents patriarchal tradition, where women shoulder the burden of care, while the island home represents a more horizontal method of organizing power.
Shelter also represents the resilience and adaptability of the human spirit as characters create new homes and communities amidst the devastation of environmental catastrophes. Overall, the motif of shelter underscores the fundamental human need for safety and belonging.
