Stella’s Wedding Ring Symbol Analysis

Stella’s wedding ring is a physical reminder of everything she gave up in order to lead a prosperous life as a white woman. Her initial decision to start passing as white began when she applied to work for Blake in the Maison Blanche building, but the real turning point came when Blake asked her to come to Boston with him—a question influenced by his romantic feelings for her. By later marrying Blake, she committed once and for all to living as a white woman, so her ring represents that commitment just as much as it represents her love for Blake. It’s quite meaningful, then, when she returns to Mallard and gives the ring to Early, asking him to pawn it and use the money to help care for Adele. The ring symbolizes the many things she left behind by disappearing into a new life, so it makes sense that she tries to make up for her absence by parting with the ring itself, which, in turn, comes to represent not just the life she left, but also her guilt about the decision she made to abandon her loved ones.