Comfort & Joy

God is a motif that develops the idea of the importance of faith. When the story begins, Joy’s faith is deeply buried, and Bobby’s faith is in treacherous territory. After the death of both of their mothers, Joy and Bobby have lost their faith in God. When a priest suggests Bobby pray, he explains that he won’t because, “God let her die, didn’t he?” (54). Joy, too, has not been to church since her mother’s funeral 10 years prior. Yet throughout the story, Joy thanks God constantly—after the plane crash, for keeping her safe from serious injury; at the lodge, thanking God for the computerized world that makes it possible for her to travel this spontaneously. While subtle, Joy’s faith in God is present throughout the story. She advises Bobby not to lose his connection to his church, encouraging him by saying that she will light a candle for his mother if he joins her in church. When they do attend on Christmas Eve, Joy is “giddy with happiness” (152). This is the last thing she does with Bobby and Daniel before she wakes up in Bakersfield, representing the faith she must have to believe her time there was real. The faith that Joy and Bobby maintain in each other is similar to the faith they have for God. It contains questions and perhaps even resentment, but at its core, it is a belief. It is unproven by logic, but it has a positive impact if they allow it.

Joy’s camera represents her tendency to preserve the past rather than look forward and change her life. Joy begins the story with a file cabinet full of articles and photos of places she dreams of seeing. It has been sitting untouched for years. In her first trip to Rain Valley, she spends her days taking photos, swearing that she will never forget her time there. Yet when she returns to Bakersfield, her camera contains no proof of her time in Washington—if anything, it proves that she was never there. Unable to preserve her memories with her pictures, Joy is forced to have the faith and conviction to return to Washington. Already wary of her own mind, Joy is pushed further toward a life of faith despite her fear. Yet it is this faith that allows her to find Bobby and Daniel. Through her camera, Joy relied on preserving this life she wanted but would not pursue. When she can no longer rely on her tool of preservation, she finds it in real life.