65 pages • 2 hours read
Suzanne RedfearnIn an Instant
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2020A 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
False Appearances
Numerous characters present a false appearance, adding depth and complexity to the plot and their character development. This motif is evident in Finn, who exemplifies false appearances. Though dead, she is a powerful presence in the novel and the other characters’ lives. She witnesses everything mentioned in the plot and provides reflection and insight, yet most other characters don’t realize she’s there. Likewise, Mrs. Kaminski appears at first to be nervous to the point of paranoia. The accident proves, however, that her worry is justified based on Karen’s response to Ann ensuring Mo’s welfare. Mrs. Kaminski’s true character emerges in the hospital when she confronts Karen about Natalie’s lack of injuries. In reality, Mrs. Kaminski is not the meek woman most people see her as. She is a strong, astute woman who recognizes more about human nature than the other characters.
The Miller family’s tendency to adapt their behavior based on who is watching also exemplifies this motif. Behind closed doors, Jack and Ann fight constantly. In front of people, however, Jack and Ann pretend to be happily married. This act is especially true for Aubrey, their oldest daughter, who is soon to be married. Chloe likewise presents a false front after the accident when around her family members. The motive behind her deception is to gather pain pills, which she is stockpiling with the aim of dying by suicide. It’s only once Chloe forgives herself and Vance that she drops her pretenses and starts finding her way back to being the happy, independent teenager she was before the accident.
These false appearances add multiple layers to each character’s personality and to the developing conflicts, emphasizing the role of forgiveness in regaining authenticity and sincerity. The false appearances therefore make the characters more complex and dynamic, as everyone in the Miller family undergoes significant growth and development. The ways in which the characters misrepresent themselves, hide their motivations, or are misinterpreted by others demonstrate the characters’ struggle with expectations while they heal and embrace who they want to become.
Aubrey’s Wedding
Aubrey’s wedding is a complex symbol throughout the novel, with the process of getting married serving as a parallel for the family’s grief and subsequent transformation. Though the wedding signifies Aubrey leaving the family, in a sense, it also signifies hope and joy, marking the onward march of time.
In a literal sense, after the Millers return home, Aubrey’s upcoming wedding offers a welcome distraction. The family considers postponing yet ultimately decides that proceeding would be in everyone’s best interest. Chloe volunteers to help Aubrey select her wedding music; though the two sisters didn’t have a strong relationship or much in common, they learn to appreciate each other more deeply by working together on this project. Aubrey’s wedding and future family also provide a catalyst for Jack to clean out his garage of Oz’s and Finn’s belongings. He has difficulty letting these objects go, but thinking of the space he’ll need for his future grandchildren allows him to rid himself of the things holding him back. Finn reflects on the importance of this process for her father, who is a man driven by love for his family:
this is how it needs to be for him, a task—a responsibility and an obligation to do what needs to be done to protect those who remain […] I feel his resolve and his blinding love, his willingness to do anything for Aubrey, including letting us go (308).
More broadly, Aubrey’s questions and statements about the wedding generally prompt the family to turn their focus away from their losses.
As a symbol, though, Aubrey’s wedding highlights the role of actively practicing unity and focusing on building a shared future in Healing Family Trauma and Conflict. While Aubrey appears unaffected by the accident, Finn suspects her oldest sister notices more than she lets on. Aubrey makes statements and asks questions about her wedding at critical moments, using the promise of a shared future to keep her family from drowning in their pain. As Finn observes, her sister’s “normalcy resets the balance” and symbolizes a new beginning (280).
Aubrey’s wedding also creates a frame for the novel. In Chapter 1, Redfearn depicts Aubrey trying on her wedding dress for Ann, Karen, and Finn. This image provides a foundation for the wedding and the relationship among the characters. It also shows the strong friendship between Ann and Karen and the sisterhood shared between Aubrey and Finn. Thus, Redfearn begins the novel with an image that symbolizes hope, love, and family, which contrasts with the conflict brewing within Finn’s family. The novel’s last chapter focuses on Aubrey’s wedding reception. Although dead, Finn can witness her family’s healing and Aubrey’s new beginning as Ben’s bride. This poignant moment also includes Ann’s reunion with Kyle. Kyle asks Ann to dance, signifying he forgives her. When Ann accepts, she demonstrates that she forgives herself. This moment is when Finn breaks her final connection to her family and moves into the afterlife. Thus, Redfearn also uses Aubrey’s wedding to represent the hope, love, and peace that Finn wishes for her family after she’s gone.
The Millers’ Cabin
The Millers’ cabin symbolizes healing and overcoming great odds, though it’s only able to fulfill that promise after the characters have faced their own mortality. The A-frame log cabin, built by Ann’s father, sits in the isolated wilderness outside Big Bear, California. Finn’s many memories of coming to this cabin throughout her childhood tie the cabin even more closely into the theme of healing family trauma and conflict.
When Jack plans a ski trip for his family, his goal is to use the cabin to heal the fractures in his family, which immediately suggests the cabin’s association with healing. However, the family’s initial effort to heal through visiting the cabin fails dramatically—ending in a literal crash. Before the cabin can fulfill its potential, the family has to endure an event that humbles them and strips away their facades. Healing is only possible with forgiveness, which entails sincerity and full acceptance of how one “screwed up,” which the family did not have at the start of the novel.
However, when Jack kidnaps Vance and forces him to stay in the mountains for a month, the cabin’s effect is effective. Together, the two search for Oz’s body. In the process, Vance regains his health and stamina. He comes to appreciate Jack’s courage and desire to be a good father. Seeing Jack as a strong man helps Vance overcome his immaturity and arrogance. By spending so much time in the mountains focusing on someone else, Vance forgives himself for abandoning Chloe. When he finally returns to Laguna Beach, Vance and Chloe forgive each other and move forward as friends. Jack likewise begins to heal during his time at the cabin, with Jack having a breakthrough at the cabin that forces him to see his wife’s perspective and stop blaming her. This critical moment allows Jack to move back home and continue working on himself and his marriage.
