70 pages • 2 hours read
The Seven Sisters
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Symbols & Motifs
Christ the Redeemer
Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer statue is an important symbol in The Seven Sisters. The statue symbolizes the enduring nature of love. Depicting Christ with his arms outspread and a peaceful expression on his face, it broadly represents Christian teachings regarding Christ’s self-sacrifice and love. This love is reflected in the way Christ is portrayed in the statue; this portrayal is very intentional and is described in great detail in the novel as Bel spends time with Heitor de Silva Costa and Paul Landowski. Heitor tells Bel about his vision in a “poetic yet detailed way” (152), and his wife jokes that she has “lost the love of her husband to Our Lord” (151). That the statue must also withstand the elements means that it embodies not only love but also the kind of love that stands the test of time. This is Bel’s early introduction to the Cristo statue, and the feeling of love pervades the rest of the statue’s presence in the book.
The soapstone tile, as part of the Cristo statue, reinforces this symbolism. Bel and Maia both appreciate the romance of the idea of people writing their loved ones’ names on tiles that will permanently be part of the great statue. Bel’s inscription of her tile for Laurent also includes a quote about the enduring nature of love: “Love knows not distance; it hath no continent, its eyes are for the stars” (452). Love is here a universal and transcendent force, echoing the statue’s broader connotations.
The symbolism of the Christ the Redeemer extends to Maia’s narrative in 2007 as well. Maia and Floriano first meet at the feet of the statue, setting them on the path to their romance. Floriano later tells Maia that just before they met, he stood “on the edge of [his] roof terrace and [gazed] up at the Cristo and the stars above it” (441), praying for a reason to feel hopeful when he was so lonely. The star imagery here echoes Bel’s inscription, suggesting the continuity of love across time.
Letters
Letter writing is a motif throughout the novel. The motif serves to enrich the portrayal of Bel’s romance with Laurent and to illustrate the internal conflict at the heart of Bel’s narrative. Bel’s letters to Loen are the only place where she feels like she can be fully honest about her new sense of freedom and her growing affection for Laurent. That this motif is associated with Bel and her romance enhances the tension at play—Bel is not at liberty to act or speak with full freedom. Letters are, by their very nature, communication at a distance.
Still, the letters are an important connection, both between Bel and Loen and later to Maia as well. Letters, unlike spoken conversation, can be preserved and handed down. In Maia’s case, she receives Bel’s letters as historical artifacts that help her understand her family’s past. Thus, the motif of letters and letter writing supports the novel’s thematic exploration of The Past’s Influence on the Present. The letters are a physical representation of the tension, desires, and actions that shaped Bel’s life and how these forces had ripple effects that impact Maia in the present day.
The Moonstone Necklace
The moonstone necklace is a significant symbol throughout the novel, supporting the author’s exploration of the past’s influence on the present and also The Power and Limitations of Family, as the necklace serves both to connect characters across timelines and to highlight tension in the relationships between Gustavo and Bel and between Beatriz and Cristina.
Readers are first introduced to the moonstone necklace in Chapter 2 when Maia finds it in her childhood bedroom. The necklace features an “unusual opalescent stone, which [shines] with a blueish hue and [is] encircled with tiny diamonds” (16). Because of Pa Salt’s secrecy, Maia does not understand its significance and doesn’t wear it until she is an adult. Already, the complexity of familial relationships is connected to the necklace, as Pa gifts it to Maia without a full explanation.
Bel truly likes the necklace when Gustavo gives it to her in Chapter 17. She is “touched by his thoughtfulness” and pleased by the delicate beauty of the necklace (148). Their interaction over the necklace reveals the tension in their relationship, where both true affection and distaste exist in Bel’s heart side by side.
The necklace also symbolizes the way familial love shapes the lives of future generations. The author uses the necklace to reinforce the past’s influence on the present by using it as a physical marker that characters recognize throughout the novel. At one point or another, Yara, Maia, and Beatriz all see the necklace as evidence of Maia’s connection to the Aires Cabrals, and it thus opens the door for conversations. Gustavo’s gift to Bel has a lasting impact on her family, finally acting as the key that enables her great-granddaughter (Maia) to connect with her roots.
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