57 pages • 1 hour read
Piper HuguleyBy Her Own Design
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2022A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Flowers
Content Warning: This section discusses abuse.
Both cloth flowers and real flowers are important symbols in Ann’s life. Flowers represent creativity, uniqueness, success, beauty, and personalization. Some specific real flowers also carry their own language of meaning, such as pink gladioli: “Such bad luck! Gladioli were the one flower I never sought to recreate, because they were funeral flowers. Certainly not a flower for a wedding” (291). Ann clearly knows the meaning of each flower and is thoughtful with each fabric flower she creates. Though some real flowers are mentioned, the cloth flowers are a more significant symbol. Beginning in Ann’s childhood, she has a talent for making unique cloth flowers from fabric scraps. The flowers remain a constant signature of Ann’s work that showcases her creativity.
Like her dresses, the fabric flowers are “one of a kind” and can’t be replicated by any other designer. Since the flowers are an extremely popular aspect of her designs, they symbolize success and personalization. Ann personalizes all her work to every customer, fitting not only the designs and patterns but also the flowers to what the woman needs: “A woman is like a mystery. If I figure out the ways that I can make a dress she would look pretty in, and like herself, then I have solved the mystery” (145). Because she always ensures that the dresses accent each woman’s most attractive qualities, the flowers are representative of beauty, too. They highlight women’s best assets, hide their perceived “flaws,” and help them to feel beautiful with high self-worth. Without the flowers, Ann’s designs wouldn’t be as unique or coveted, and she may not have had as many career triumphs.
Names
Ann’s name changes multiple times in the novel, and names are symbolic of identity, recognition, transformation, and professionalism. Ann Cole Lowe is her original namesake, but soon she becomes Mrs. Ann Cone through marrying Lee, changing her identity from a young girl into a child bride and then a mother with more mature responsibilities. Lee’s name continues as a repeated motif in the book, haunting Ann years after her abusive relationship with Lee ends. For instance, Mrs. Lee takes Ann in as their seamstress, and then Jacqueline’s sister is named Lee: “One can tell when a young girl has been spoiled and that was her Lee. Once more, that name had intersected in my life in a major way” (232). Though Ann regrets marrying Lee and doesn’t miss him, his name appears often as a reminder of her past identity as his wife; it marks the extent to which she’s transformed since leaving him.
Ann also takes pride in her name and needs to be recognized for her hard work accurately. Thus, though she loved Caleb and being Mrs. West, she decides to switch back to her initial name: “Ann Cole Lowe. This name was my name. I would design under this name perpetually and never, ever change it again for any man” (227). Designing under Ann gives her the freedom to fully be herself, showing off her main identity as a designer.
Ann’s name symbolically identifies her as a professional, as she corrects the actress Olivia: “‘It’s just Miss Lowe.’ She nodded and we had an understanding. We had professional names, our own names, as professional women” (237). Especially as a Black woman during this time, Ann claiming her own name is an important symbol of her recognition as a professional. In fact, in the Author’s Note, Huguley addresses the importance of names. She writes that “Black women in the South, prior to the civil rights movement of the mid-twentieth century, were rarely addressed as Mrs.” and that they were often called “by their first names, or Auntie” (4). When Ann takes back her name, she “seem[s] to make it clear that her creations need[] to be under her name and not anyone else’s” (4). When Ann is finally recognized by this name in the papers, her career thrives even more.
Prayer-Wishes
Besides regular prayers, Ann offers up prayer-wishes in her mind. The term “prayer-wish” is used multiple times in the novel, making it a motif reflecting Ann’s interiority, desires, and hope. Also associated with her lifelong, devout faith in God, the prayer-wishes are a way for Ann to share her deepest inner yearnings. Her thoughts are conveyed in a longing manner through these internal prayer-wishes. They are also emphasized by italics. For instance, Ann prayer-wishes when Mr. Taylor considers not accepting her for design college: “I bit my bottom lip to keep it still and thought the prayer-wish in my head. Please let me stay here. Please let me stay here. Please let me stay here” (174). In this case, her wish comes true, but this is not always the case.
This motif occurs at key moments in Ann’s life to reveal her truest desires. These thoughts give her a sense of optimism and hope. If she prays hard enough, she believes that the desire may come true, as in the scene of Jacqueline’s wedding when Ann hopes to gain more exposure and income: “This kind of widespread exposure could help my shop greatly. […] This dress could be the making of me. Prayer-wish time. Dear God, let it be so” (288). As shown in this scene, the wishes are based on Ann’s belief and spirituality instead of practicality. She relies on prayers to see her through hard times. By giving voice to Ann’s most heartfelt wants, these prayer-wishes help establish her interiority, and they are also symbolic of her aspirations and a source of comforting promise.
