Symbolism
Autumn (leaf), breeze/air
He tore himself away from you like an autumn storm bringing down a sapling.
The waltz was smooth and romantic as if the dancers were floating air. It wasn’t hard to understand why Baxter loved it so much.
He went across the stream with his arms out and light steps- heel, toe, heel, toe. It was almost like he was floating on air, his movements smooth and assured.
Baxter wandered towards the living room like a leaf on a breeze.
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For the most part, he goes where the wind takes him, easily regaining his footing and following along to any change in beat.
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Of course, this is as long as it doesn’t have to do with treating him as if he’s special/important nor about maintaining any kind of lasting relationship with him. But if it is, he can turn into a something like a roaring wind. Pushing you away.
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He’s intangible. He slips between your fingers. In his words, you “can’t force [him] to do anything [he] doesn’t want to,” and that includes staying.
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For much of the story, he hides his inner self. Invisible like air.
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He moves gracefully, getting past physical obstacles with ease.
Wind often represents the fleeting and transient, the elusive and the intangible. In the Bible, God’s ruah (wind, spirit, breath) moved upon the face of the waters (Genesis 1:2).
Air is traditionally seen as one of the FOUR ELEMENTS, and along with fire is considered active and male.. In this respect it is represented by the arc or the circle, and the colors BLUE or GOLD. It is light, mobile, and has the quality of dryness. Being that which we breathe, it is essential to life and can be thought of as the primary element. The Greek spiro means “breath,” from this we get inspiration, as if the gods were filling us with the divine breath. Also connected with stormy wind (creation) and a medium for movement. Nietzsche thought of air as human freedom, cold and aggressive. Bachelard relates its scent to memory. Often fresh night air is a sign of danger.
Winter + spring (flowers & spice)
Before Baxter’s cologne was almost old fashioned in how perfumed and heavy the smell was. These floral notes were fresher, sharper, and there was an undercurrent of spice.
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It’s said that to deny oneself of human connection is to essentially not be alive (winter). Fall is the transition between summer and winter. As he leaves the protagonist, the scene is described akin to the motions of autumn.
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Spring, when many flowers flourish, is associated with life and new beginnings. It’s the next stage after winter. As he changes to embrace human connection, he embraces life and turns to the next chapter of his life.
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Flowers are appealing, fragrant, and bring life (metaphorically and literally) to any space. In a way, these are like qualities he envies in those who are popular: they’re inviting and loved by many. In contrast, his grey hair is described to be a somber color, encapsulating his inner turmoil. He always had trouble with making friends, to be “appealing.” Flowers can be seen in his place and his fragrance smells of flowers.
The flower and the blossom are both universal symbols of young life. Flowers are associated with the SUN, because the arrangement of its petals is reminiscent of the shape of a STAR; they may be innocent representatives of spring, or they may designate lust and the realm of the erotic. They are transitory, evoking a certain “joie de vivre,” or an understanding of the fragile quality of childhood. The flower is often a representative of beauty.
Deep ocean
Baxter: I… Well, the idea of being fully immersed in the ocean is a bit frightening. It seems endlessly deep and unpredictable, with powerful waves and rapid currents. And there are creatures lurking in there. Some of them are larger than me. It’s unfathomable. You don’t play with something like that. If I enter that water, I’ll never return from it. The ocean will swallow me whole. That’s what I think.
The ocean is the beginning of life on Earth, and symbolizes formlessness, the unfathomable, and chaos. The ocean can also be seen as a symbol of stability, as it can exist largely unchanged for centuries. The ocean is considered to be boundless, a place where one can easily be lost, and can therefore be seen to represent the boundless span of life, and the way one can get lost on the journey through life.
The ocean represents his fears and the unknown. During Step 4, he faces them.
Eyes
Delicate and selective and whose fun came more from viewing than truly experiencing, Baxter was the epitome of an outsider in that moment.
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Along with his shirt in step 3, he often resigns himself to be an observer instead of being an active participant.
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If not merely an observer, he’s the ghost in parties that watches over and manages everything to make sure it runs smoothly, yet goes unnoticed.
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When he was younger, his parents had “nonsense expectations” out of him, and considering his obsession with appearances and violent reaction to socially blundering, it can be assumed he was raised to be something to show off or present to others, to be scrutinized. Many eyes watched him, as his name is known by the whole town.
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He was raised to develop a sharp eye for details on himself. He’s harsh on himself on every little mistake and self-conscious about the way he presents himself to others. He watches himself.
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He grew to be perceptive of others as well. Struggling to connect and build friendships, he learned to be attentive to others’ thoughts and feelings. He watches others.
Eyes are probably the most important symbolic sensory organ. They can represent clairvoyance, omniscience, and/or a gateway into the soul. Other qualities that eyes are commonly associated with are: intelligence, light, vigilance, moral conscience, and truth. Looking someone in the eye is a western custom of honesty…The eye often means judgment and authority…
Different numbers of eyes have different meanings as well: …multiple - stars and darkness.
Butterfly
Terry: This ‘Baxter’ is flapping around the town, coming to appreciate our two good ‘buds’, Cove and [Protagonist.] Right? Like flower buds and he’s a butterfly.
He flitted to and from stalls like a monochrome butterfly in a flower garden. Terry had been more correct than he could’ve known when he made that comparison at the beginning of summer.
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The butterfly is also a symbol of complete transformation, in deep sleep before emerging into an entirely different thing. Something he undergoes.
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He also fails to see his own value, much like a butterfly can’t see the colors of the back of its own wings without help of something else.
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Butterflies are merely “visitors” to flowers.
In its metamorphosis from the common, colorless caterpillar to the exquisite winged creature of delicate beauty, the butterfly has become a metaphor for transformation and hope; across cultures, it has become a symbol for rebirth and resurrection, for the triumph of the spirit and the soul over the physical prison, the material world. Among the ancients, is an emblem of the soul and of unconscious attraction towards light. It is the soul as the opposite of the worm. In Western culture, the butterfly represents lightness and fickleness.
Cat
Not really deep in meaning but he does get compared to cats a lot. He’s pretty catlike in personality, movement, and agility.
The resultant change in Baxter’s demeanor was extraordinary. His eyes lit up, his cheeks dimpled, and you thought you could almost see his ears tweak. It was like watching a kitten.
He grinned like a Cheshire Cat, self-satisfied and smug. His eyes glittered with amusement.
Were tree bridges really that common? Did he often climb onto things without thinking it through? That thought brought to mind a cat, casually wandering into hazardous places just because they could.
In relation to eyes/perception symbolism:
Cats have excellent night vision and can see at only one-sixth the light level required for human vision.
– Linda Case, The Cat: Its behavior, nutrition, and health.
Funny enough, in relation to color:
The domestic cat has rather poor color vision…
– Loop, M.; Bruce, L. “Cat color vision: The effect of stimulus size”. Science.
Fun combination of cat + air (sky/heaven) + eyes (observer) symbolism:
…height gives the cat a better observation point, allowing it to survey its territory.
Fire
During the two crucial moments that Baxter opens up about his past, he gazes at a fireplace. One was in the Mountain lodge, the other in the lobby of his home in Prim Vista.
Of all the major symbols in literature, art, and religion, perhaps no symbol is more ambiguous and double-edged than fire. Fire symbolism can simultaneously denote illumination and purification and destruction and pain.
In a more modern context, forest fires, while looked upon as destructive and costly by modern society (and especially by the various media), are actually, from a scientific and ecological point of view quite positive as a mode of purification – old growth that is burned away makes way for new growth to begin, and the entire ecosystem is rejuvenated.
– Cooper, J.C. An Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Traditional Symbols.
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The colors of typical fire is the same as the colors of autumn, the season representing his past: Golden Grove.
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As Baxter opens up about his past, he illuminates a hidden part of himself for the protagonist and in a way also for himself, forced to self-reflect.
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By allowing himself to be known and baring his wounds, he digs up thoughts, feelings, and memories he buried because of pain. In some manner, he gets healed from being able to open up to a caring ear. A “purification” of sorts.
Baxter: How strange. Usually, I find indulging in nostalgia to be an unpleasant endeavor. But here and now, it’s easy. And it’s nice. I suppose it’s because for once I can share my thoughts with another person, rather than ruminating on the past by myself.
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Fire symbolizing destruction reflects the bridges he burned in his past.
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Baxter is mainly compared to air in the game, which goes hand in hand with fire (it needs oxygen after all, and grows larger with more air).
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Baxter’s major fear is represented by the ocean. The element associated with recalling his past–fire–is “opposite” to the element of facing his future/present: water.
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Fire also evokes the mythical creature Phoenix, which represents death and rebirth.
Dusk
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When he meets the protagonist again, it’s at dusk. His significant moment of deciding to reestablish reconnection with the protagonist during Step 4 occurs at dusk.
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Orange–the color of dusk–is associated with him.
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Dusk represents a closing of the day, and ending. He likes to end things lol.
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Dusk is when the blue sky and the orange of the setting sun melt together (return to the black of the night, with the stars glittering white).
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Interestingly, cats are crepuscular, meaning they are “active primarily during the twilight period.”
Night
He’s a night owl. He’s the mystery guy, shrouded in shadows, so to speak. Of course he’s most in his element during the time that it’s harder to be seen.
Night is typically associated with the obscurity and mystery of DARKNESS, with the MOON as its singular eye. It is the symbol of ignorance, the unconscious, and latent potential, and is represented by the goddess Nyx, who is the MOTHER of sleep, dreams, sexual pleasure, and death.
Cats may be crepuscular, but from personal experience and memes online, they do like to be up at odd hours of the night.
Forest, trees
Traditionally a symbol of the unknown, it’s instead one of familiarity to Baxter. The ocean being Baxter’s symbol for the unknown is opposite to the forest being “unknown” to the protagonist (i.e. the forest is not their home that they grew up to become familiar with like Baxter). The ocean can represent Baxter’s fears in general with human connection, but can also represent the protagonist themselves, if we were to take this in conjunction with the forest representing Baxter himself. Both are unfamiliar and different to each other (the game emphasizes differences between the protagonist and Baxter).
The tree is dynamic life itself, the result of HEAVEN, EARTH, and WATER; it is the feminine, nourishing, sheltering image of the Great MOTHER, rooted in the earth and reaching toward the heavens, evocative of eternity. An evergreen symbolizes immortality, and the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge are both in Paradise.
Mountain
Reaches towards the sky, air, heaven. A “departure” from earth. Disconnected, or freedom. A combination of air and forest, he’s most in his element here. During Mountain, Baxter further slips off his mask of propriety, becoming more playful and upbeat. Being surrounded with familiarity gives him breath and the space to let his guard down more.
Minor symbols
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driftwood
- he’s a tree guy who wanders aimlessly until he finds somewhere to wash up on
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magic
- he shares a name with the magician at the Sunset Bird shops (Amazing Alexander, if I remember correctly.) It fits with his illusions and smoke and mirrors about who he really is.
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fireworks
The finale of the fireworks took center stage. Dozens scattered across the sky and the sparks of them descended into the sea below. It was as if they were impossibly far away, distant stars, and yet also close enough to reach out and touch them.
- he’s just as showy as them, watched from afar (don’t get close or you’re gonna get real hurt)
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ice cream (sandwich/truck)
- how fitting that if you’re looking for the truck, you have to either wait for it or chase it down
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alcohol, wine
Alchemic: The aqua vitae as both FIRE and WATER; the conjunction of opposites; the male and female, active and passive both in a state of creation and destruction. Consistent with its effects upon the human body, alcohol brings the release of the unconscious, lifting prohibitions and inhibitions, releasing the imagination and signalling a freedom of the creative spirit.
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peaches
- peaches of immortality in Chinese legends are relevant to Baxter’s ties with immortality.
Fan-made symbolism
angel
- A background, invisible force that lends a helping hand without ever truly becoming known nor fully understood. Graceful, but also capable of being destructive, doling devastation. Many-eyed. Watchful, but unseen.
ghost
- He roams the earth without being “truly alive,” connected to no one. Unseen. Hidden. Caught in glimpses, but keeps to himself. Elusive. People may chase the ghost of a loved one, only to never be able to grasp them, like smoke. And of course, he “ghosts” the protagonist.
Jude: He ghosted you?
Emoji & etc.
This idea came up as I was trying to figure out what to draw on my blank buttons to show my obsession with Baxter.
- emoji: 🍑🥂🍂🌳🍦💐✊
- 193 (his room number in Mountain. The protagonist’s is 194.)
- B.A.W.