Symbol: Chandler Burnaby

Chandler is the first child Ariah bears with her new husband, Dirk Burnaby. Ariah carries the secret fear that this child may not be Dirk's, but Gilbert's, whom Ariah had sex with only once to consumnate their marriage right before he killed himself. As Chandler grows older it is obvious that he is not like the great Burnaby family, or anything like his well-like, successful father, Dirk Burnaby. This boy is awkward, quite unsocial, avoiding his mother for days at a time. Chadler holes up in the library or will simply wander around town, disapearing from sight. He wears glasses, is fair skinned, and is lanky and somewhat emaciated. It becomes more obvious to the reader, and Ariah (who refuses to admit this to herself) that Chandler, the eldest Burnaby boy, is JUST like Ariah's late husband, Gilbert Erskine. I believe strongly that Chandler is Gilbert's son, and not Dirk Burnaby's. Chandler is a direct symbol of Gilbert Erskine, and his presence after death. He is an everyday reminder to Ariah, that she cannot escape the skeletons of her past, that, like she said originally, "I am damned".