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Symbols are objects, characters, figures, and colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.
The Atomic Model
An atomic model is a way to explain what atoms look like and how they function. On “Supper at Six” Elizabeth regularly references the atomic model and the periodic table of the elements. She also refers to ingredients by their chemical names and discusses types of bonds. By using the atomic model, Elizabeth demystifies how the scientific ideas used in chemistry can apply to real-life scenarios, and demonstrates that the same scientific laws govern every aspect of the known world.
The Erg
Erging is a famously difficult and exhausting exercise, which requires a huge amount of energy combined with well-executed technique. The rowing machine in Elizabeth's laboratory is a symbol of her patience and perseverance. Elizabeth’s professional life is filled with obstacles, and she’s often limited in the scope of what she can accomplish for reasons that have nothing to do with her skills. Rather than giving up, she makes the best of the resources she has and tries to improve however she can. The repetitive action of rowing on the erg mirrors the perseverance that she must summon up in order to keep going at Hastings and KCTV. When Elizabeth is on the erg she isn’t moving, but she’s preparing herself for when she will be again.
Elizabeth’s #2 Pencil
The #2 pencil is a symbol not only of Elizabeth’s acceptance that making errors is an unavoidable part of the scientific process, but also of her bravery and conviction in herself. Crafting hypotheses as a researcher inevitably involves trial and error. It’s possible, however, to learn nearly as much from failures as it is from successes. Writing in pencil allows her to erase her mistakes and begin again. The only act she’s ever committed with a pencil that couldn’t be reversed was impaling her thesis advisor Dr. Meyers with one as he violently raped her. When asked if she feels sorry for doing so by the unsympathetic police officer who questions her, Elizabeth absolutely denies that stabbing Meyers was a mistake. It wasn’t, and she’s prepared to defend that conclusion. Elizabeth didn’t make a mistake—Meyers committed a violent crime—so there’s nothing that she needs to do to correct or erase the event.
