The Things We Leave Unfinished

The letters between Scarlett and Jameson represent the power and persistence of romantic love. Excerpts from the letters are frequently used to introduce the chapters describing the unfolding romance between Georgia and Noah, providing a contrast to and background for their progressing relationship. In content, the letters appear to move backwards in time, so they serve as foreshadowing in hinting early on at the birth of a son, William, and a move to Colorado. In later chapters, the letters speak of Scarlett and Jameson’s passion for one another, and Jameson proposes marriage. In tone and content, the letters comment on the progression of Georgia and Noah’s romance, as they are at first separated by distance, when he is in New York, and then move toward commitment and marriage when their issues are resolved.

The gazebo, upon its first introduction, symbolizes Scarlett and Jameson’s love. For Georgia specifically, it represents the pain of being abandoned by someone you love; she tells Noah the gazebo is “sturdy. Solid. The sorrow, the longing, the ache that eats you up after the missed chance…those make fine supports. Those are the emotions that last the test of time” (169).