A Visit from the Goon Squad

by

Jennifer Egan

A Visit from the Goon Squad Symbols

The Sun

The sun is a constant symbol throughout the novel, and serves to point the reader toward the passage of time, and also the theme of ruin and redemption. The presence of the sun is linked…

read analysis of The Sun

Water

As a literary symbol, water is often connected with the idea of rebirth, renewal, and redemption, but in A Visit From the Goon Squad, this symbol is inverted, instead pointing to destruction, decay, and…

read analysis of Water

The Body and Appearance

Attention to the body is constant in A Visit from the Goon Squad. Bodies often serve as the location of identity for individuals, and comparing one’s body to another’s allows these characters to establish…

read analysis of The Body and Appearance

Pauses

Pauses serve a symbolic function in A Visit from the Goon Squad, pointing readers toward the passage of time, and imitating the ups and downs of the characters’ lives. Structurally, the interwoven narratives in…

read analysis of Pauses