49 pages • 1 hour read
Cynthia D'Aprix SweeneyThe Nest
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2016A 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
The Nest
The novel’s title refers to the trust the Plumb siblings plan to inherit when Melody turns 40. For Jack and Melody, the funds represent The Illusion of Financial Security, as they assume they have an imminent rescue net to repair the financial decisions they have made throughout life. Despite not having the funds at the moment, neither Jack nor Melody are deterred because they trust that the funds will be available later. In this sense, there is a double meaning to “trust.”
The use of the descriptor “The Nest” gives the fund additional meaning. One’s childhood home with one’s parents is commonly called a nest. Growing up and moving out of one’s childhood home is referred to as “leaving the nest.” In doing so, one becomes an adult who is no longer dependent on parents for financial needs. This indicates independence and breaking of the reliance that a child has. Ironically, for the Plumbs, the “nest” they await makes them more dependent on their parents, not less. In this sense, then, needing the inheritance money to aid their own respective incomes, the Plumb children do not fully leave the nest or fully exert independence. Leo is arguably an exception, as he harbors a secret fund. Bea, too, is gifted ownership of her apartment by her late partner but keeps this asset a secret.
When The Nest does not come to fruition, Jack and Melody are propped up by a loan from Bea: a new form of the money they expected to receive. Both are committed to repaying Bea, however, demonstrating that they have finally gained financial security and independence.
The Kiss
The name of the Rodin statue depicting two lovers embraced in a kiss that Tommy O’Toole seizes is also the name of Part 2 of the novel. In this way, the statue takes on multiple meanings. The statue itself is instantly symbolic to Tommy of his late wife—as he searches the World Trade Center rubble, he grows certain that she will send him an object that represents their relationship, and he finds the statue. Because the statue, however, does not truly belong to Tommy’s late wife, he must keep it hidden. In this way, the statue becomes a secret (in keeping with the novel’s theme of The Power of Secrets) that Tommy must keep from his family, paralleling the secrets that the Plumb siblings keep from one another. Ironically, the statue is presumably of great value, but the sale of the statue would expose Tommy’s crime. This parallels Leo’s secret offshore bank account. Both the statue and the bank account symbolize untapped wealth and security that, if accessed, could prove detrimental. Indeed, it is Jack’s quest to sell the statue illegally that ultimately leads to the end of his relationship with Walker, who regards this action as indicative of an unscrupulous moral code.
The use of this phrase as the section’s title also alludes to Paul Underwood’s desire to kiss Beatrice Plumb. Though there are no suggestions throughout the bulk of the novel that Bea has any romantic interest in Paul, the Epilogue reveals that the two have become a couple one year after the events of the plot. This suggests that those who wait patiently and seek to obtain what they desire by legitimate means will be rewarded in the end.
Bea’s Short Story
As the novel opens, Bea is excited about a new piece of writing she has completed that later comes to symbolize her differences from her siblings: namely, that she chooses happiness over the pursuit of status. Having had no literary success since her first novel, Bea experiences a depressing lull that has shaken her esteem as a writer. That she is excited about this work suggests that the tides will turn in her favor as the novel unfolds. Indeed, this proves to be true, as Bea is the only one of the Plumb siblings who is in good financial shape. By the end of the novel, too, she has entered into a romantic relationship with Paul Underwood, providing a foil to the failed relationships of Leo and Jack.
When Leo finally reads Bea’s new work, he and the reader learn that it is a recounting of Leo’s accident. Because Bea’s previous character, Archie, was based on Leo, it is likely that Leo’s drug use and infidelity will become public knowledge if the story is published. Thus, the short story could undo that which Leo and Francie have sought to protect by tapping into The Nest early. In this way, the short story imbues Bea with power that the other siblings do not have, providing her with leverage over Leo. Indeed, reading the story triggers Leo to flee the country. While she decides not to publish it, the story thus symbolizes Bea’s personal and professional success, which sets her apart from her siblings.
