Finally got through analyzing If He Had Been With Me and I'm completely fascinated by the symbolism throughout the book - the autumn imagery is beautifully crafted and represents autumn symbolism ya novel's emotional journey perfectly, while the tiara scene was devastating because it embodies her lost innocence and the alternate reality with Finny, plus the way the author uses weather patterns to predict the tragic ending is brilliant writing that makes this from a typical YA novel into a deep analysis of timing and missed opportunities - has anyone else analyzed how the repeated symbols of cycles throughout the novel tie into the theme that we're trapped by our circumstances and can't escape the lives we create?
