What do you think the guard tower represented for William? What sort of touchstone did it provide?

William became quite curious about the discovery of the distant guard tower along the shore. What do you think this represented for William? What sort of touchstone did it provide?

The tower was there during the war and the threat of the Germans was real as now the threat of the pandemic is real. It was built to watch for German Submaines during the war. It is a reminder for William of everything what the world went through and how it can go through that once more. He tells Lucy this country is in so much trouble. The whole whole is. William’s father and Grandfather were Germans. His Grandfather made money on the war. William inherited that money and it makes him sick that he still has some. But he dies keep it!

The tower is a reminder everyday what the world went through in WWII.
William believes the troubles we are in with the pandemic is a parallel to the troubles the world was in during World War II.
Everyone tearing each other up and hard for democracy to survive.
So the Tower was Williams connection to the World now.

I think the guard tower represents William's role in the novel: guardsman, protector, father and husband. His "job" is to get everyone through the pandemic, to provide a strong, constant presence in this new, uncertain world. Just as the guard tower stands as a reminder of the dangers during WWII, William puts himself in the position to take care of those he loves and to be on the alert and vigilant as they all face the real and present realities of the plague around them.

The guard tower was a place that linked his past to the present.He was aware of the significance the tower had during WWII. It also a place he could be alone and think about how war would be in the here and now.

The tower represents WW2 and William feels money he inherited from his grandfather is synonymous with the tower and war. William feels guilty taking his grandfather’s money because his grandfather profited from the war. His father had refused taking the money but William gladly took it but with some guilt.

The tower is William's link to his past. It bring back all the memories of who his father was, German. How his father managed to get into the country and marry his mother. The secrets she kept and how this was and is his life. The tower provided protection and now he was trying to do the same, but he also was aware of how fragile life can be. I also think it played the role of a headstone, where William went to think about everything that has happened in his life. the good and the bad.

The guard tower was a visual reminder to him that his relative was involved in the horrible side of World War II. He hasn't truly grappled and dealt with that, so when they discover the tower and it's history, I think he continues to visit it to force, or may enable him to really deal with that history, how he benefited from it, and try to figure out what to do now.