How does the author use symbolism in the novel, Topics of Conversation?

Popkey's novel opens with her narrator looking out at the sea. Rather than a singular object, she describes it as "an abstract painting in gentle motion", divided into three sections and three colors (1). For the narrator, the sea represents the nuance to be found in the world. Though the sea is one thing, it is composed of different colors, creatures, and complications.

The sea also symbolizes Popkey's narrator's interpretive energies. She studied English as an undergraduate and intends to study it again at the graduate level. Throughout the novel, she proves herself to be a master of meaning, looking at her life through all different lenses and making sense of it for herself. Like the sea, her life is vast and filled with many things; the sea at the beginning of the novel symbolizes what lies ahead, the form out of which her narrative will grow.