The plane crash at the beginning of the story symbolizes Francis Weed’s emotional awakening and his desire for a more meaningful existence. It represents a jarring interruption of his mundane suburban life; in the moments before the crash, the plane’s cabin even has “an atmosphere of intense and misplaced domesticity” (38). The crash forces open this unnaturally domestic space when the flight attendants open the emergency doors and the outside world comes pouring in as rain. This serves as a metaphor for Francis being forcefully thrust into a new perspective that causes him to question the superficiality of his surroundings and seek a deeper sense of purpose. It also symbolizes the trauma of World War II that many Americans sought to repress, as evidenced by Francis’s friends and family being unwilling to acknowledge the reality of what he went through.

The cornfield where the plane crashes has similar significance. The neat, uniform rows of corn represent the conformity and artificiality of Shady Hill, and it serves as a metaphorical backdrop for the struggles Francis faces in reconciling his desire for authenticity with the stifling conformity of his environment.