i always thought will looked distraught in this scene bc it brought up memories of his mother’s absence, but it’s that & SO much more. to start, there is an octopus plush in the photo. octopuses are referred to as the “Mother Teresa of the sea. Octopuses symbolize generosity, selflessness, and self-sacrifice.”
the idea of motherhood/self-sacrifice is further explored when jack asks why all of the victims have defensive wounds except for mrs. turner. will answers, “there’s forgiveness.” again, he’s confronted by the selflessness of motherhood - how mothers perform the ultimate sacrifice by giving birth. will himself yearns for the warmth of a mother’s love and can’t understand the children who abandoned it. in the eyes of a child, mother is god, and these kids are defying/rejecting god.
“Mother is the name for God in the lips and hearts of little children.” - William Makepeace Thackeray
