51 pages • 1 hour read
Jamie McGuireBeautiful Disaster
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2011A 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
Blood
Throughout the novel, blood is associated with violence and injury. Like the central paradox in the novel’s title, blood has a duality to it—simultaneously a life-giving substance and a visible indicator of harm suffered. Abigail Abernathy is spattered with blood at the fight where she meets Travis Maddox; she has pushed forward to see better, suggesting that, despite wearing cashmere to seem like a “good” girl, Abby seeks out action and danger. She is “mesmerized by the trail of red from […] [Travis’s] chest to […] [his] waist” (4), suggesting she is attracted by violence and foreshadowing her fascination with Travis. Travis observes that the sweater looks good on her, suggesting that he recognizes she has been marked by the violence he committed, and instead of distancing herself from it, she’s come close enough to be spattered. This signals her fitness as Travis’s romantic interest.
On other occasions, when Travis beats an opponent or antagonist to a “bloody pulp,” Abby expresses satisfaction that he has committed violence in her defense or on her behalf. In these moments, blood becomes evidence of his affection, whereas in another instance, when Travis puts Abby in physical danger—causing her to fall by hitting a man who has ahold of her—Abby expresses anger at Travis’s violence, and the man’s blood on her hands represents Travis’s shortcoming, his failure to prioritize her safety first.
Blood marks the eruption of Travis’s rage and capacity for violence, which in the novel are regarded as qualities that make him simultaneously dangerous and fascinating. Abby takes pride in the fact that, while Travis can be aggressive toward others, he is tender toward and cherishes her, which emphasizes her status as special. In her mind, a key component to maintaining that special status, is her conviction that she will never be the subject of his violence or drunken rages. His nervousness at the end when the tattoo needle draws blood on her wrist assures her that his priorities are in the right place and that he will always protect her above all others.
Seasons and Weather
In a handful of places in the novel, an observation of the weather reflects not just the passage of time but a progression in the relationship between Abby and Travis. In autumn, Abby notes the leaves falling from the trees, which presages her own fall from sexual innocence in losing her virginity to Travis. On Thanksgiving morning, Abby wakes up to see the ground covered in new, untouched snow, which not only encourages her to snuggle deeper in bed with Travis, but represents her willingness to have a fresh start with him. After they reunite, Travis carries Abby across campus while other students engage in a snowball fight. The action indicates their separateness from the people around them. While other “new” adults their age, including America Mason and Shepley Maddox, are enjoying a carefree interaction and expression of community, Travis carries Abby, holding her apart from the others and tells her no one will dare throw a snowball at him or “his girl.” Abby is figuratively walking on ice with Travis, but instead of seeing him as a danger or regretting that being with him keeps her isolated from others her age, Abby enjoys being special, protected, and privileged by Travis’s undivided attention.
Vehicles
Travis has a Harley Night Rod which he calls “the love of my life” (18) on the first night he gives Abby a ride. The motorcycle and his driving style indicate Travis’s love of excitement and his ability to disregard rules or safety precautions. When Abby expresses reasonable worry about safety, Travis responds with confidence that he is such a skilled driver that he would never let anything happen to her. His choice of vehicle is expressive of Travis’s personality, and Abby is attracted to both the danger and the self-confidence, both qualities she hasn’t yet learned to embrace in herself.
In contrast, Parker Hayes, Travis’s foil, drives a Porsche, a sleek, expensive, high-quality car that symbolizes Parker’s function as an ideal guy. Abby wears her seatbelt, indicating that she feels Parker is a safe choice. America has her own car which symbolizes her independence and her ability to make her own self-directed decisions, in contrast to Abby, who does not have a car, leaving her at the mercy of other people for transportation. This lack might also indicate that she is less self-directed and her identity is still forming. She’s more willing to be taken along for the ride, and she prefers it be a dangerous and exciting motorcycle rather than a well-behaved, high-functioning Porsche.
