44 pages • 1 hour read
Freida McFaddenWard D
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2023A 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
Patient Charts and Cellphone Service
When Amy Brenner arrives in Ward D, she learns the computers are down for maintenance—thus, she and Cameron have to use paper charts for the night. This leads her to consult the patient charts on several occasions to learn more about the patients of Ward D, beginning with Will and ending with Damon. She pays close attention to the emergency room notes, which explain why the patients were brought to Ward D. The charts provide information and later become lifelines, symbolizing Amy’s last opportunity to understand who might be lying among the people present. Without the charts, she might not have connected Damon to Jade and realized the danger of her situation.
Likewise, there is no cellphone service in Ward D—and thus, further lack of information—except for a space by the window in the staff lounge. Amy repeatedly attempts to get service in order to text her roommate Gabby, research Will, and call Cameron. All these attempts fail except for her texts with Gabby. As Ward D progresses, these attempts become lifelines, symbolizing Amy’s tenuous connection to the outside world.
Peach Iced Tea and Ring Dings
Amy has several favorite drinks and foods that she associates with important people in her life. With Jade, Amy recalls drinking peach iced tea. Unbeknownst to her, Jade spiked her drinks with hallucinogens. With Cameron, Amy recalls eating Ring Dings, a chocolate cake snack that he again brings for their shift together. After Cameron dies, she picks up the Ring Dings that fall from his pocket and eats them with Gabby. Overall, peach iced tea and Ring Dings symbolize connection. While these things are Amy’s favorites, she associates them with specific people, and once their relationships are over, so is her desire to drink or eat these things. To further this symbolism, this severing of ties, she develops a new favorite drink when she begins dating Will. With Will, Amy’s new favorite is iced dirty chai tea latte—but considering her history, and the young girl’s insistence that this relationship will end like others, this connection might very well end soon.
Seclusion One
Amy is told that Damon, a patient with a penchant for violence, is being restrained in Seclusion One upon her arrival at Ward D. Damon continually comes up as she meets other patients, with them reiterating his violence. She is frightened by the mere idea of him, and as the night wears on, she becomes convinced he is no longer in Seclusion One. In reality, Damon has been in her vicinity the whole time, masquerading as Dr. Beck. Amy’s fear creates tension, compounded by noises in Seclusion One that all but confirm her suspicion. As she is both reluctant to check the room and discouraged from doing so, its power over her grows—culminating in the dramatic reveal of Cameron, Mary, Dr. Beck, and Ramona’s bodies when she finally investigates under the cover of a self-started outage.
Related Titles
By Freida McFadden
