The Glassmaker

Dolphins are a significant motif in the novel. Once Antonio leaves Venice, he communicates with Orsola by sporadically sending her small dolphin figurines made of glass, and this pattern persists over the centuries. It is eventually revealed that Antonio’s descendants carry on this tradition for many generations, even though they have long since forgotten the reason for it. In the final section of the novel, which is set during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 and 2021, Orsola also alludes to a falsified photo that seemingly depicts dolphins in the canals of Venice. However, after the initial, fake photo, dolphins were indeed spotted and filmed in a rare sighting in central Venice. The motif of dolphins therefore represents joy and hope during difficult times. 

After Antonio leaves Venice, he and Orsola never see one another again, and by sending her glass dolphins, he wordlessly expresses his ongoing love for her. There is no real chance that Antonio and Orsola will reunite, but the dolphins memorialize his emotional connection to Venice, even after he has been ostracized from it. Because the dolphins are made of glass, they represent Orsola’s vocation and family history in Murano, but the figure of the dolphin itself symbolizes Antonio’s legacy as the son of a fisherman and his strong ties to the water.

While the glass figures of the dolphin generate hope and a sense of connection for the lovers, the photos of the dolphins become beacons of hope for a much broader community during a time that challenges the entire world. During the first wave of shutdowns and isolation protocols due to the COVID-19 virus, many people grapple with fear and loneliness, and the idea that the shutdowns are restorative and healing to the natural world provides a small beacon of hope. While the false photos are eventually debunked, the idea that dolphins have been sighted in Venetian canals because of lessened boat traffic and improved water quality implies that there are at least some benefits to the isolation measures. Both the photos and the glass dolphins therefore symbolize the fragility and the misleading qualities of hope. Although the glass dolphins allow Orsola to feel emotionally connected to Antonio, their regular appearance also allows her to ignore the reality that he has been dead for centuries. The photo provides an uplifting but false narrative. However, when Orsola realizes that Antonio’s descendants have been sending her dolphins long after his death, it is clear that the memory of their love still lives on.