In Hellman's play, Days to Come, Cora's collection of ceramic animals is one of its most important symbols. The collection metaphorically represents the precisely arranged network of self-delusions and lies, particularly in Andrew, Cora and Ellicott, that have sustained the lives and reputations of the Rodman family and their business to the point of the play's beginning, that sustain them throughout the action, and may or may not sustain them after the curtain falls.
Days to Come