The Aunt’s Story is a psychological narrative which relies on symbolic objects to reveal Theodora’s fluctuating states of mind. An exotic filigree ball that Mrs. Goodman brings back from a trip to India fascinates Theodora and Lou because the subtle, flickering fire contained within suggests to them the shape of the human soul. A hawk that Theodora once identifies with she later kills in order to prove herself a better shot than Frank Parrott; the death of the fiercely independent bird echoes the loss of innocence in Theodora. A rose with a grub at its center seems to Theodora to embody her own situation; it teaches her the proximity of ugliness and beauty, and the necessity for both. The nautilus she purloins from covetous Elsie Rapallo shows Theodora that all is transient and, therefore, that nothing can ever be fully possessed by anyone. The relation of objects to character illuminates both indirectly.

The principal themes of The Aunt’s Story remain abiding concerns throughout White’s work. According to him, each individual is composed of numerous personas: male and female, physical and spiritual, desirable and detestable. Theodora comes to understand the wisdom of accepting and playing all the conflicting parts. She recognizes that one’s self always hangs between disparate poles of existence, such as life and death, good and evil, matter and spirit, and, more important, that it is the tension between them that provides the catalyst for living. Nothing is to be denied—not ugliness or decay or madness; each has its place in life’s design.

Theodora is the first in a series of Whitean characters of questionable sanity. She remains extraordinarily sensitive to life on every level and immensely honest about herself, but her eventual coming to terms with life’s dichotomies represents madness, or defeat, in society’s eyes. White introduces a world of inverted values in The Aunt’s Story where dullards such as Frank and Fanny lead normal, acceptable lives and creative individuals such as Mr. Goodman and Moraitis suffer for their cleverness. White depicts Australia as a place to be escaped, where conformity is encouraged and individuality stifled. In order to achieve spiritual wholeness, Theodora sheds most of her external trappings, including connections with family and Australia, and retreats into the last of her possessions—her self. This action the world at large construes as madness, and it deals with Theodora accordingly.

Finally, White advocates instinctual, intuitive living as opposed to an intellectual response to life. Theodora remains a memorable creation because she physically understands what it feels like to be a stick; she notices mundane objects such as tables and chairs and makes them seem exciting and unpredictable. Language is her enemy; she, like Moraitis, believes that knowing things well obviates the need for derivative, reductive words. As a result, many of White’s greatest characters, including Theodora, are almost inarticulate.