The Mr. and Mrs. Hamburger figurine that was a part of Arthur and Nola’s home appears several times throughout the novel. This motif represents their love and commitment to one another, and its inclusion in the present action underscores how significant and enduring that relationship is for Arthur. First, Arthur notices them in the back of the drawer and decides to put them on display on the kitchen table, which stirs up a memory and connects him to Nola, remarking, “She was a cornball, that one. But who didn’t love her?” (13). Arthur later decides they will make the perfect gift for Maddy because she loves all the vintage items in the home; he bridges past and present with the idea of this gift.

When Arthur doesn’t see Maddy for some time, he places Mr. and Mrs. Hamburger on Nora’s gave instead. Later, when he sees that the figuring has been taken from Nola’s grave, he is shocked, but his response is gracious: “whoever did it, he hopes they take care of the Hamburgers. He didn’t want them ever to be thrown away in his lifetime” (120). When Maddy reveals that she took them, she tells Arthur how much she likes them and proudly displays them in her room, giving a new life and purpose to the figurine.