Smell
Who cut the cheese? Bad smells pollute the air in The Assistant. When something stinks, it's usually rotten—a sign of dying dreams or of villainy. Time itself stinks for Morris Bober, the poor ol...
Waste
Unfulfilled hopes and dreams are a common theme in The Assistant, so you can image that the characters fear their lives will amount to nothing—a waste. This is particularly how Helen looks upon h...
Wind
In The Assistant, the wind is a symbol of fate and its power over free will: [Frank's] life had pushed him wherever he went; he had led it nowhere. He was blown around in any breath that blew, owne...
The Flower
After having seriously wronged Helen by raping her in the park, Frank continues to linger in and around the store. He feels terrible about his actions and wants to make amends, but he doesn't seem...