Compass Symbol in Good Spirits: Meaning and Analysis
Introduction
In B. K. Borison’s Good Spirits, a broken compass acts as both a literal lost object and a powerful symbol of connection, direction, and destiny. Hidden in the supply closet of Harriet York’s antiques shop, the compass belongs to Nolan Callahan, a ghost who has been wandering for over a century. When the compass is finally repaired and given to Nolan, it points unerringly toward Harriet, revealing that she—not the object—is his true unfinished business. This analysis traces the compass through the novel, examining how its meaning evolves and what it reveals about character and theme.
What Is the Compass – Literal Description and Recurrence
The compass is a small, damaged navigational instrument: a coiled chain, a cracked face, flecked green paint, and an arrow that never points where it is supposed to. It is first discovered by Nolan in Chapter Twenty-Six (Chapter Twenty-Six: Nolan) when light bounces off its dented metal in the Crow’s Nest supply closet. The text notes that it is a compass Nolan has “held in the palm of my hand” and “should be at the bottom of the Atlantic.” In a panic, Nolan hides it under a crate, unwilling to face what its discovery might mean.
The compass reappears in Chapter Thirty-Five (Chapter Thirty-Five: Harriet), when Harriet finds it beneath an old jam crate in the same closet. She wraps it as a Christmas gift for Nolan. When Nolan touches it, the arrow points directly at Harriet. He confirms, “It points to you.” The compass finally stops working as a flawed directional tool and begins pointing where it truly should: toward its owner’s heart.
How the Compass’s Meaning Changes
From Lost Object to Symbol of Avoidance
When Nolan first finds the compass, it represents his unfinished past—the life he drowned in 1902. His immediate reaction is to hide it, thinking, “I’d like my unfinished business to remain exactly that… unfinished.” The compass becomes a symbol of his fear of moving on and losing his time with Harriet. He admits he “didn’t want to see it” and “didn’t want to touch it.”
From Gift to Unexpected Revelation
Harriet’s gift transforms the compass into a symbol of her hope for Nolan’s peace. She says she is “so happy I could give this to you.” Yet when the compass points at her, it redefines what “unfinished business” really means. The compass no longer leads to a past task; it leads to a person. This moment reframes the entire romantic arc: Nolan’s purpose was never to find a lost item, but to find Harriet.
From Object to Metaphor for Soulmate Connection
In Chapter Thirty-Eight (Chapter Thirty-Eight: Nolan), Isabella and Matilda explain that “the compass was never your unfinished business. Harriet was.” The compass served as a physical anchor for a spiritual truth. Its broken condition mirrors Nolan’s own fragmented state before meeting Harriet. Once repaired and activated, it points to the one person who completes him. The compass becomes a metaphor for destined love: an instrument that, when properly tuned, shows the way home.
Character and Theme Connections
Nolan Callahan
For Nolan, the compass parallels his journey from wandering ghost to a man with a clear direction. For a century he has been “waiting and watching,” with no sense of purpose beyond his assignments. The compass forces him to confront the choice between peace and love. His decision to hide it shows his reluctance to let go; his eventual admission that he “didn’t want to leave” reveals his growth. The compass’s final direction—toward Harriet—concretizes his emotional truth.
Harriet York
Harriet serves as the compass’s discoverer and the one who unlocks its meaning. Her belief that she is meant to help Nolan move on is validated when the compass points at her. The object becomes a tool for her own self-discovery: just as the compass points to Harriet, her own life finds direction through her relationship with Nolan. She transforms from someone seeking approval to someone who trusts her own path.
Themes
- Love and Connection: The compass literalizes the idea that love provides direction. Nolan and Harriet are “soulmates destined to be together,” as revealed by Isabella.
- Memory and Identity: The compass is a tangible link to Nolan’s forgotten human life. Finding it forces him to remember who he was and what he truly wants.
- Redemption and Self-Acceptance: For Harriet, the compass is part of her reconciliation with her own worth. She gives Nolan the compass even though it may end their time together, showing her growth toward selflessness.
- Unfinished Business: The novel subverts the typical ghost-story trope: the unfinished business is not a task but a person. The compass is the red herring that leads to the real answer.
Study Questions and Answers
Question 1
Why does Nolan hide the compass after he first finds it in the supply closet?
Answer: Nolan panics because he fears that recovering the compass will resolve his unfinished business and force him to move on from Harriet. He wants to prolong their time together, so he hides the compass under a crate, telling himself he will “deal with it later.” This action demonstrates his emotional conflict between duty and love.
Question 2
What does the compass pointing at Harriet reveal about Nolan’s unfinished business?
Answer: The compass pointing at Harriet reveals that Nolan’s unfinished business is not the object itself but his connection to her. Isabella later explains that “Harriet was” his true unfinished business—they are soulmates who were meant to be together. The compass simply confirms what Nolan already feels: that Harriet is his destination.
Question 3
How does the compass’s physical condition (cracked, broken chain) mirror Nolan’s emotional state at the start of the novel?
Answer: The compass is broken, unreliable, and hidden—much like Nolan himself at the beginning. He is a ghost cut off from human connection, wandering without purpose. The broken chain symbolizes his severed ties to life, and the cracked face reflects his fragmented memory. As he heals through his relationship with Harriet, the compass also becomes functional and points true.
Question 4
Harriet finds the compass in her own shop and gives it to Nolan as a Christmas gift. What does this action show about her character development?
Answer: Harriet’s willingness to give Nolan the compass, even though she knows it may end their relationship, shows her growth from self-protective avoidance to selfless love. Earlier, she avoids difficult truths and seeks approval from her family. By giving the compass, she prioritizes Nolan’s peace over her own desire to keep him, demonstrating the maturity she has gained through the story.
Conclusion
The compass in Good Spirits is far more than a plot device. It evolves from a hidden relic of the past to a revelatory symbol of love’s direction. Through its brokenness and eventual repair, it mirrors Nolan and Harriet’s own journeys toward wholeness and connection. Borison uses the compass to ask: what are we truly searching for? The answer, the novel suggests, is not a thing but a person—and sometimes the only way to find direction is to stop searching and trust the one who points the way.
For further study of the novel’s themes, see the pages on memory and identity, redemption and self-acceptance, and love and connection. You can also revisit the character analyses of Nolan Callahan and Harriet York.