In Petals on the Wind, the second novel of V. C. Andrews’s trilogy, the story dwells on the life of Chris, Cathy, and Carrie after they manage to escape the attic and move to Florida. However, while at some point, everyone is convinced that going back to the place of abuse, fear, and pain would never be an option, Cathy’s desire to plot revenge against her mother motivates her to come to Foxworth Hall for the last time.
One of the pivotal in the story is Cathy’s reunion with the attic, which was not nearly as destroyed as her siblings’ life. While constantly going back to the attic in her memories, Cathy does not understand that apart from the feeling of disgust and rage, she feels nostalgic about her life with Chris and Carrie and her childhood. As a young and strong girl, her life was replaced entirely with a dusty room with two dormer windows and black shutters.
The first symbol prevalent throughout the whole story of both imaginary and real journeys to the attic is the dangling paper flowers hanging in the attic. These flowers were one of the few items that helped the children feel as if they were not held captive by their parents, as the mixture of paper flowers and imagination allowed Chris, Cathy, and Carrie to travel in an imaginary garden or any other bright land outside the attic. When Cathy returns to the attic, she wonders why, after all these years, the dangling paper flowers could not become a fire hazard and help destroy every tiniest thing that connects her with the cruelty of her past. These paper flowers, which continue to hang still in the attic, symbolize the spirit of Cathy and Chris. Despite the trauma and life hardships, they fight for better lives, for the future they deserve far away from their abusive family. When living in the attic, those flowers, created together with Chris, were an imaginary garden. Later, even when the attic perished, Cathy and Chris were the only ones to survive and pursue their journey of building a better future.
Another thing Cathy pays attention to when she returns to the attic is two dormer windows with black shutters on them. This combination creates a painful oxymoron for Cathy and her siblings, as shuttered windows symbolize the fading hope of making it alive from the attic. The fact that the attic has windows demonstrate that there is the slightest ray of hope for salvation and light that awaits the siblings once they break free from captivity. However, the black shutters on the window do not allow sunshine and hope to come closer to Cathy and her siblings. Thus, knowing that there is freedom can be even more painful once it becomes clear that this freedom has nothing to do with innocent children locked inside their houses.
Essentially, the scene of Cathy returning to the attic demonstrates that there will always be a part of her that belonged to it. Seeing how nothing has changed over the years symbolizes how Cathy’s pain and trauma will never leave her, even if she takes revenge on her mother. The pain, like dangling paper flowers, will remind her of the attic, while the shuttered windows will remind her that true happiness will never be as fulfilling as she deserves.