Set Design
Paper TownsTherese often makes cardboard sets for her portfolio as she looks for a set designer job in ballet or Broadway. A set is an imitation of real life, and Therese's models are imitations of...
Letters
Return to SenderCarol and Therese's relationship begins with a letter, and Carol's marriage ends with a letter. In between are a lot of letters that Therese writes but never sends.Remember, this is...
Kites
Go Fly a KiteKites are usually happy things. They fly in the sky, dip, twist, and soar. But there's that pesky string holding them back. In one scene of the novel, Therese makes an elaborate obviou...
Dolls
Baby DollWhile it's not quite Black Friday, at the beginning of the book, Therese is overrun by a rush of women wanting to buy dolls for Christmas.The customers of Frederick's are picky, forcing Th...
Body Temperature
Hot and ColdThere are more obvious body temperature metaphors in The Price of Salt than in your average Katy Perry song, but we have to mention them because there are so many. Therese talks about h...
The Train
Choo Choo Choose HerIn the book's first chapter, Therese observes a toy train. It's not a big train, "but there was a fury in its tiny pumping pistons that the bigger trains did not possess" (1.28)...
Gloves
Poor Little Kitten Has Lost Her MittenThe first chapter is full of metaphors and images that are never mentioned again. One object Therese ponders is a pair of gloves a nun gave her: Therese had ke...