45 pages • 1 hour read
The Soulmate Equation
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Symbols & Motifs
Jess’s Physical Reactions to River
Although Jess initially dislikes River, she experiences constant physical reactions to him that symbolize her deeper feelings. These feelings remain hidden until Jess gets to know River and slowly accepts and explores her physical attraction—which she finds “inaccessible and deeply aggravating” (101) at first. The first time Jess touches River—when she grabs his arm at Twiggs—she feels “physical pressure on her chest” (18). During subsequent interactions, she becomes “light-headed” (117), gets “goose bumps” (125), feels like she’s “melting” (146), and experiences “deep vibrations” and “woozy” spells (162). Although Jess doesn’t respond when the San Diego Union-Tribune journalist asks her and River if they have an “internal reaction” (161) to each other, the truth is that she does. Eventually, Jess’s reactions—and sexual fantasies—become impossible to deny. When Jess and River kiss at the Grubers’ cocktail party, it “shifted the trajectory of them” (204) and reveals that her physical reactions have been indicative of deeper feelings all along.
Juno’s Roller-Coaster Project
The roller-coaster that Juno builds for her art-science project symbolizes Jess and River’s tumultuous journey to settling down together. As Juno begs Jess to let her build a model roller-coaster, the latter increasingly feels like she’s on one. Once Jess and River move past their first impressions of each other, they find themselves falling in love. River bonds with Juno and charms Pops and Nana Jo—all of which makes Jess feel like she’s at “the tip-top of the roller-coaster,” experiencing the “anticipation before the thrill of the drop” (280). Her anticipation proves accurate, as she soon learns her match with River was manipulated. River doesn’t contact Jess for eight days, during which she cuts ties with her mother, Jamie. When River finally returns, Jess feels gutted and refers to their current status as “the end” (337). However, the roller-coaster ride isn’t over, as River asserts his love for both her and Juno. Once River reenters the picture, he helps Juno complete her roller-coaster project, symbolically ending Jess’s unpredictable ride (and reinforcing River’s role as Juno’s father).
Shelter Island
Shelter Island symbolizes the sense of shelter that Jess and River provide each other. Two of their most meaningful encounters take place on Shelter Island: the San Diego Union-Tribune photoshoot (which takes place at the beginning of their relationship) and Jess and Juno’s proposal to River (which marks a new chapter in their relationship). At the photoshoot, River shows Jess his nurturing and protective side; Jess and Juno return the gesture with their proposal. During the photoshoot, River wraps a cold Jess in his jacket, “enclosing her inside it with him” (165). Jess not only feels protected in his “soft warmth,” but finds herself fantasizing about him “over her,” then “Sweaty beneath her” (165). Her interest in River escalates from this point on. On the couple’s second trip to Shelter Island, Jess and Juno surprise River by asking him to be a part of their family. When Juno asks River to be her father, Jess embraces both of them; when Jess asks River to marry her, he envelops all of them in his hoodie. Jess explains to Juno that River once “wrapped me up just like this” (384) in the same spot. River reflects on how much has changed between the two trips—but in both cases, he holds Jess close, feeling “something that nothing in his life before had ever made him feel” (385).
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