Safe Haven

Nicholas SparksFiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2010

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-6

Chapters 7-12

Chapters 13-19

Chapters 20-24

Chapters 25-29

Chapters 30-38

Chapters 39-43

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

Letters

About a week before her death, Carly gave two letters to Alex: one for him and one for the woman he would one day fall in love with. Alex introduces these letters by reading the one Carly wrote to him. Carly used the last of her strength to convey her desire for Alex to be happy after her death, which she believes he can only achieve by remarrying. This act defines Carly as a woman who was selfless and who loved her family so much that she was able to accept the reality that Alex would want to marry again after her in. To Alex, the letter represents a link to the woman he loved and lost, and a link to the future. If Carly hadn’t been so accepting of the idea of him moving on, he might have been too burdened with guilt to remarry.

Alex fears that if he gives Katie the second letter too soon, she might not be ready for what it has to say. However, when he does give it to her, it comes at the perfect time. Katie finds herself questioning her sanity when she realizes that Jo never lived in the cottage next door and was likely a figment of her imagination. However, when she reads the letter and learns that Carly also went by Jo with her friends, she understands that Jo was real in a sense, and that she came into Katie’s life to do exactly what she expressed in both letters: to allow Alex to find happiness in the love of another woman. It is a generous, unselfish act, and Katie is grateful for Carly’s amazing gift.

Bicycle

The bicycle that Alex and his kids fix up for Katie is symbolic on many levels. For Alex, the bike represents his courageous wife who once rode it all the way to Wilmington only to call him and ask him to drive her back home. That ride showed Carly as a vibrant, adventurous woman who was afraid of nothing. However, the bike also reminds Alex that the ride occurred on the same day Carly had her first seizure—the same day she learned that she had brain tumors.

For the kids, the bike is simply a gift. It was a fun project they could undertake for Katie and a bonding experience with their father. The kids are too young to remember their mother, let alone remember the day she got sick.

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Finally, the bike signifies many things for Katie. First, it is an act of charity that angers her. She returns it to Alex and demands that he stop giving her things; she doesn’t need his help. However, when Alex explains himself to her and expresses that idea that everyone needs help, she relents. The bike then becomes a symbol of independence. With the bike, Katie has more freedom. She can go to the library more easily and check out more books. She can go shopping and bring home more things. She can get to work without having to walk for miles and miles. The bike gives Katie back many of the things she lost when she married Kevin. Kevin didn’t allow Katie to go anywhere without him, taking away her freedom and independence. Alex has given her back her independence with this act of kindness.

Weather

When the novel begins, it is early spring and the weather in Southport is mild, sunny, and unremarkable. However, the weather takes on a character role in the novel. When Katie goes to Foster’s to buy a few items, a storm blows in and forces her to accept a ride from Alex. This ride opens a door in her relationship with Alex, pulling them together even as she is actively trying to keep him away. Then the weather clears again when he gives her a bicycle to ride, making it possible for her to enjoy her newfound independence. A day at the beach is made perfect by clear weather, the sand and the sea calm and beautiful on a day of exploration and hope.

When Katie tells the story of her last few days with Kevin, the weather is cold and miserable, reflecting her feelings about her life. The snow even helps her when she leaves because it covers her tracks and gives her a head start before Kevin figures out just how long she’d been gone. As soon as she’s gone, the weather turns hot and miserable, reflecting Kevin’s emotions as he struggles with her absence.

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At the end of the novel, it is summertime and the weather in Southport is hot and humid. Katie and Alex experience the heat but do not complain about it. However, Kevin complains from the moment he arrives. Kevin seems to hate everything about Southport, but it is the heat that he focuses on the most. As Kevin slips into a deeper and deeper delusion fueled by his drinking, he suffers more and more from the weather. The heat is also symbolic in that it places Kevin in his Biblical hell, as he contemplates murdering his wife and her new lover.