Ephraim’s bootlace is a symbol whose meaning changes throughout the novel. For Ephraim, the bootlace symbolizes his own latent magic as well as his experience at Circus Mirandus with the Lightbender, whom he loves and admires. When Ephraim first meets the Lightbender, he uses his bootlace to showcase his magical knot-tying abilities.

The symbolism of the bootlace shifts when, later, Micah takes the bootlace because it reminds him of his beloved grandfather after he passes, as well as their shared values of imagination, silliness, and faith in magic. Gertrudis tests this faith when she instructs Micah to take the bootlace off; for Gertrudis, the bootlace also symbolizes faith in magic—something that she defines herself in opposition to. Her disgust illustrates her own understanding of the bootlace’s meaning: “[S]he saw the bootlace wrapped around Micah’s wrist. Something Micah hadn’t expected flitted across her face—recognition. An angry flush reddened her cheeks” (292).

Micah demonstrates his loyalty to Ephraim and their shared values when he refuses to acquiesce to Gertrudis’s demand, even when she strictly instructs Micah to cut the bootlace off before Ephraim’s funeral. Micah insists on keeping the bootlace on as it links him to both Ephraim and Circus Mirandus.