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Symbols are objects, characters, figures, or colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.

Snow

At the beginning of Stella’s stay in the hospital, snow begins to fall. The snow represents the sort of protective bubble Stella and Will exist in throughout their time together, falling in love and taking risks despite the harm getting closer may cause. As they are young and have already dealt with so many struggles, the reality of Stella and Will falling in love feels as pure and refreshing as newly fallen snow. While Stella and Will admire the beauty of the snow, the snow itself also nearly leads to both of their deaths. While on the roof of the hospital, Will slips on the snow and almost falls off. Then, when they escape the hospital, Stella falls into an icy pond and nearly drowns. The dual nature of snow symbolizes the beauty and innocence of their relationship along with the unseen dangers that come with it.

Patches

Patches is a stuffed panda that Abby gave to Stella during Stella’s first stay in the hospital. Although Stella is now a senior in high school, she still brings Patches with her every time she has to go to the hospital, even making sure to bring him when she and Will escape to go see the holiday lights. Patches represents both Stella’s innocence and her relationship with Abby. When Stella falls through the ice, Patches floats away. The loss of Patches symbolizes Stella’s loss of innocence right before she loses her first love, but also reminds her that she does not need a physical object to stay connected to Abby.

Art

The novel begins with Stella decorating her hospital room with drawings created by Abby before she died, and Will is often drawing cartoons that he frequently uses to impress Stella or get back into her good graces. The use of art throughout the novel shows how Stella and Will are able to find beauty where they are, even while sick in the hospital. Art becomes a way for them to experience otherwise mundane things in new ways. Art is also used to immortalize certain feelings and experiences, such as in the final scrapbook Will gives to Stella and in the sketch he draws of her. For patients like Stella and Will, who do not know how much time they have, art is a way to transcend death.

Holiday Lights

On their date around the hospital, Stella points out the holiday lights at a park a few miles away. She mentions that she and Abby used to admire them and that Abby told Stella they were like stars she could make a wish on. After Poe dies, Stella feels determined to walk the two miles to the park to see the lights up close. Will tries to stop her, as walking two miles in the cold could be extremely dangerous for them both, but this is one experience Stella feels she needs to have. However, Stella falls through the ice before they can even make it to the park, leaving the lights just out of grasp. After Stella’s surgery, during Will’s goodbye, he reveals that he has hung up the lights in the courtyard outside Stella’s room. While the lights symbolize all that Stella wants but cannot attain due to her illness, Will finds a way to bring them closer. Stella’s time with Will reveals that, like the lights, the things she most wants are just within reach.

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