The Unicursal Labyrinth Symbol in Great Big Beautiful Life

What is the Unicursal Labyrinth?

In Great Big Beautiful Life, the unicursal labyrinth is a garden path designed by Margaret Ives that has only one route in and out. Unlike a maze (which offers branching choices), a unicursal labyrinth forces the walker to follow a single winding course to the center. Margaret explains that she created her property's paths to be unicursal because she likes "taking away that element of decision, whenever I can." The motif recurs physically as a large mosaic on her workshop floor and later as a small framed mosaic titled "Nicollet" in a gallery—a miniature spiral of amber, red, and gold.

Where the Symbol Appears

The labyrinth appears in three key locations:

• The garden paths of Margaret's house: Designed so that any route leads to the same place. Alice notes that the path from the workshop to the house is "all the same path."
• The workshop floor mosaic: A massive sea-glass mosaic with a spiraling pattern of paths that Margaret built.
• The gallery mosaic: A small five-inch-square piece titled "Nicollet," which Alice purchases. The shopkeeper describes it as a "tiny tight spiral" resembling a galaxy.
• Alice's internal reflections: While examining the large gallery mosaic, Alice contemplates Margaret's life and decides that perhaps loss made Margaret need to "yield some control" and accept a predetermined path.

How Its Meaning Changes

Initially, Margaret frames the labyrinth as a tool for control and peace. She says remembering that her decisions "don't make much of a difference in the end" gives her peace. This reflects a desire to escape the burden of choice after a life filled with tragedy and scandal. The labyrinth allows her to stop asking "What could I have done differently?"

As Alice studies the labyrinth, she finds it strange that someone from a powerful family would embrace the idea that no matter what you do, you end up in the same place. She expects Margaret to see herself as master of her fate. But Alice reinterprets the symbol: "maybe suffering the kind of loss she has makes a person need to yield some control."

By the end, the labyrinth takes on a broader meaning tied to free will. Alice asks Hayden whether they really have free will, and later she reflects on the unicursal path as "one beginning, one end. Or, depending how you look at it, no beginning and no end—just a journey." The symbol transforms from a tool of avoidance into a meditation on acceptance and the limits of human agency.

Character Connections

Margaret Ives uses the labyrinth to cope with her family's curse. After witnessing her sister Ruth's death and the collapse of her own marriage, she isolates herself on Little Crescent Island and designs her world to require no decisions. The labyrinth is her escape from a life where every choice seemed to lead to tragedy.

Alice Scott becomes a student of the labyrinth's paradox. She struggles to reconcile Margaret's apparent passivity (the labyrinth) with Margaret's sharp intelligence and resistance to Alice's questions. Alice's own journey mirrors the labyrinth: she eventually accepts that some paths (like her love for Hayden) are inevitable, not chosen.

Hayden Anderson indirectly engages with the symbol when Alice asks him about free will. His answer—that he'd want to research it before answering—shows his journalistic skepticism, but he ultimately admits he believes in free will, contrasting with Margaret's surrender.

Jodi tends the garden and maintains the labyrinth path, embodying the mundane caretaking that makes Margaret's isolation possible.

Cecil Wainwright provides social interaction that pulls Alice away from the labyrinth's enclosed world, reminding her that choice still exists outside Margaret's property.

Laura Ives (Margaret's mother) appears only in the Story chapters; her fate as a woman who had to disappear resonates with Margaret's own need to vanish into her labyrinth.

Theme Connections

Four Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Margaret Ives design her garden as a unicursal labyrinth rather than a maze?
   She wants to remove the element of decision. As she tells Alice, remembering that her decisions "don't make much of a difference in the end" gives her peace. The labyrinth guarantees that no matter which direction she walks, she will end up in the same place, freeing her from the anxiety of choosing.

2. How does Alice's interpretation of the labyrinth change from her first encounter to her later reflection at the gallery?
   At the workshop, Alice sees the labyrinth as a physical curiosity. Later, while looking at the large gallery mosaic, she realizes that the labyrinth may represent Margaret's need to yield control after experiencing devastating loss. Alice shifts from seeing it as strange to understanding it as a form of comfort.

3. What does the small mosaic titled "Nicollet" reveal about the connection between the labyrinth and family secrets?
   The mosaic is a miniature unicursal spiral made from amber, red, and gold glass. Its title "Nicollet" refers to Lawrence Ives's sister, which is the same name that leads Alice to uncover the truth about Ruth's parentage. The spiral thus becomes a tangible symbol of the hidden family history that must be navigated to reach the truth.

4. In what way does the unicursal labyrinth contrast with the theme of free will in the novel?
   The labyrinth suggests that all paths lead to the same outcome, implying that human choices are meaningless. However, Alice and Hayden's relationship requires active choice and risk. Alice's question to Hayden—"Do you think we have free will?"—highlights this tension. The labyrinth ultimately represents surrender, while the romance represents the power of deliberate choice.