The Trumpet Case Symbol Analysis

The girl’s father’s open trumpet case symbolizes his relative creative freedom, particularly when compared to the mother’s tidied-away sewing materials. When the girl roams the apartment in the middle of the night, she sees the trumpet shining in its case, proof of her father’s enthusiasm for music making. The open case implies that the father uses his trumpet often, and that he doesn’t see it as his responsibility to tidy up the house—or even that he doesn’t consider tidiness a priority at all. While the mother feels that her duty is to keep a tidy house and to keep her activities out of others’ way, the father’s open trumpet case emphasizes that he is freer to pursue his creative endeavors, even if they stand in the way of the mother’s ambitions for a spotless household. It’s also a subtle reminder of the inequal societal expectations of men and women in the late 20th century (when the story is set), leaving men freer to pursue the goals they desired while pressuring women into devoting their time to domestic pursuits.