Symbols Icarus K. Ancrum

The Orpheus Losing Eurydice Sculpture: A Symbol of Looking Back in Icarus

What Is the Orpheus Losing Eurydice Sculpture?

The Orpheus Losing Eurydice sculpture is a small wooden figurine that appears in the foyer of Mr. Black’s mansion and later surfaces in the family’s storage room. Its subject—the mythical musician Orpheus turning to watch his wife Eurydice vanish into the underworld—echoes throughout Icarus. The sculpture is more than a decorative object; it becomes a physical anchor for the risk of looking backward, for the moments when a single glance can change everything. In K. Ancrum’s novel, the statue’s presence and handling trace the characters’ own struggles with loss, trust, and the courage to move forward.

Where the Sculpture Appears

The sculpture first appears as part of the curated art collection in the Black home, displayed where visitors can see it. Later, when Icarus breaks into the storage room in chapter 187, he finds the same figurine—but its position has been disturbed. He notes that “there was no dust on the figurine. It had been moved by a naked hand; its base had been scraped across the dust circle Icarus had so painstakingly placed it back into.” This reveals that someone (likely Mr. Black) has recently handled the piece, confirming that the sculpture holds personal significance for the family. Icarus himself has touched it before, as part of his and his father’s pattern of stealing and replacing artworks with forgeries. In chapter 186, Icarus recalls that “the first time he came was to replace the figurine,” suggesting that the original Orpheus sculpture was stolen and a copy put in its place. The real sculpture thus resides in the storage room—a hidden marker of the thefts that bind the Black and Gallagher families.

The Changing Meaning of the Sculpture

A Symbol of Lost Chances

For Mr. Black, the Orpheus sculpture may represent his own lost chances—perhaps the loss of his wife or the failed relationship with his son. The myth itself is about irreversible loss: Orpheus looks back and Eurydice is pulled into death forever. In the novel, Mr. Black’s choices (such as chaining Helios with a monitoring ankle bracelet and controlling his environment) have already lost him his son’s trust. The sculpture, kept but hidden, mirrors his inability to let go of the past.

A Warning for Icarus

Icarus’s father, Angus, often lectures about “Orpheus’s disc” (as mentioned in chapter 195), directly linking the myth to their work. The sculpture functions as a warning: looking back at the life they have left behind—the art they have stolen, the violence they have endured—could destroy everything. When Icarus returns to the Black house one last time, he is forced to decide whether to retrieve his gear and save Helios or to flee. His choice to go back, to look into the storage room and face Mr. Black, echoes Orpheus’s fatal glance. But unlike the myth, Icarus does not lose Helios. The sculpture’s meaning shifts from loss to the perilous risk of looking back—a risk that, in this story, succeeds.

Helios as Eurydice

In chapter 188, titled “Eurydice, ” Helios becomes the living embodiment of the myth. When Icarus enters his room, Helios murmurs, “You . . . came for me.” Helios is sick, drugged, and broken—like Eurydice in the underworld. Icarus must descend into the dark house, bypass Mr. Black, and physically carry Helios out. The sculpture is a constant reminder of what could happen if Icarus hesitates or looks away. Yet Icarus keeps his eyes open and his focus forward, symbolically breaking the myth’s tragic ending.

A Symbol of Forgiveness and New Beginnings

After the escape, in chapter 196, Icarus and Helios begin a new life in the stripped-down apartment. The sculpture is not mentioned in this scene, but its absence emphasizes the theme of moving on. The future is “too exciting” to dwell on past losses. The sculpture’s meaning finally transforms into a testament to the characters’ ability to choose life—and each other—over the backward glance of regret.

Connections to Themes

  • Touch and Intimacy – The sculpture was handled by a “naked hand,” a rare moment of physical connection to an object that normally bears only gloved touches. This mirrors how Icarus and Helios learn to trust each other through careful, deliberate contact.
  • Parental Control and Abuse – Mr. Black’s possession of the sculpture (and his surveillance of the storage room) represents his need to control both the art and his family. The disturbed circle of dust shows that he checks on the hiding place, a microcosm of his invasive authority.
  • Art and Forgery – The sculpture is likely one of the many pieces replaced by a forgery. Icarus and his father’s craft—their ability to copy, restore, and deceive—turns the statue into a symbol of truth hidden beneath a false surface.
  • Escape and Freedom – Icarus’s final raid is his attempt to escape the life his father built. The sculpture, locked in a storage room, represents the weight of the past that he must leave behind to be free.
  • Friendship and Trust – Helios’s trust in Icarus is what allows them to escape together. Unlike Orpheus, Icarus does not look back; he trusts Helios to follow, and Helios trusts him to lead.

Study Questions

  1. What does the Orpheus Losing Eurydice sculpture symbolize for Icarus versus for Mr. Black?
    Answer: For Icarus, the sculpture represents the danger of looking back—the same danger he faces when he returns to the Black house. He must resist the urge to dwell on past failures or his father’s legacy. For Mr. Black, the sculpture is a trophy of control; he keeps it hidden and checks on it, holding onto the very object that embodies loss. His handling of the statue shows he cannot let go of the past, unlike Icarus who ultimately releases it.

  2. How does the sculpture’s appearance in the storage room deepen the theme of art and forgery?
    Answer: The fact that the sculpture—presumably an original—has been replaced by a forgery on display points to the central deception that runs through the novel. Icarus and his father are masters of forgery, and the real Orpheus piece becomes a ghost version of itself. The dust circle Icarus uses to detect movement is a subtle tool, showing how the art world’s authenticity is always in question. The sculpture thus embodies the tension between what is real and what is crafted.

  3. Why does Icarus succeed where Orpheus fails?
    Answer: Orpheus fails because he looks back out of doubt or longing, sending Eurydice back to the underworld. Icarus, in contrast, keeps his eyes open and his focus on the present. In chapter 2, we learn that Icarus “needed to keep his eyes open to stay tethered to faith.” While his father prays with eyes closed, Icarus watches. This vigilance allows him to see Mr. Black’s traps, to notice Helios’s need, and to act decisively. He doesn’t look back at the life he’s leaving; he looks forward to the future with Helios.

  4. How does the motif of “looking back” connect to the relationship between Icarus and Helios?
    Answer: The Orpheus myth suggests that looking back can destroy a relationship. For Icarus and Helios, trust is built on not doubting each other. When Icarus comes for Helios, he does not hesitate or second-guess their bond. In chapter 135, Helios declines Icarus’s request to draw him, but says “not never—maybe in a few years,” implying a future built on patience and looking forward. The sculpture serves as a foil: their relationship thrives precisely because they refuse to let the past, represented by Mr. Black’s control and Angus’s bitterness, pull them backward.