The Stained-Glass Window Symbol in Part of Your World, Explained

The Stained-Glass Window: A Window into Wakan's Magic and Alexis's Lost Self

In Abby Jimenez's Part of Your World, the stained-glass window on the landing of Grant House is far more than a decorative antique. It first appears as a beautiful underwater scene, but it soon reveals itself to be a living, shifting artifact of the town's protective magic. The window's most striking trait is its ability to erase itself from memory—and from photographs—making it a potent symbol of how Wakan guards its secrets and how Alexis Montgomery's identity fractures when she leaves. By tracing the window's appearances and its role in the novel's magical system, we can see how it embodies the town's agency, Alexis's internal conflict, and the cost of choosing between two worlds.

What Is the Stained-Glass Window?

The window is located on the landing of the switchback staircase in Grant House, the historic Victorian that has been in Daniel Grant's family for six generations. When Alexis first sees it in Chapter 8, she describes it as “a huge stained-glass window of a blue underwater river scene with swimming fish and diving loons.” The house itself is a period piece, filled with antiques and hand-carved details, and the window fits seamlessly into that aesthetic. At this point, it is simply part of the house's charm—a beautiful, frozen-in-time detail that Alexis adores.

But the window is not static. In the author's Q&A (Chapter 41), Jimenez explains that the window is “never described the same way twice, because it's changing.” This means that every time a character looks at it, they see a different scene—a garden, deer in a meadow, a mosaic—though the narrative only explicitly shows us the underwater version. The window also “has the ability to make you forget what you've seen, and it doesn't allow itself to be photographed.” These properties are not incidental; they are central to the window's symbolic function.

The Window as a Symbol of Wakan's Protective Magic

Wakan is a town with a name that means “magic” in the Dakota Sioux language, and the novel treats the town as a living entity. In Chapter 11, Pops tells Daniel, “It's alive, you know... It breathes like you and me. It's got magic in it.” He describes the town as “protecting itself” and says it “picks who it wants.” The stained-glass window is one of the town's magical instruments. Its ability to change and to erase itself from memory ensures that outsiders cannot carry Wakan's secrets away with them. When Alexis tries to find a photograph of the window in Chapter 34, she discovers that the only image is a black-and-white from the year the house was built, and “the window was completely black. Like the camera had malfunctioned.” This is the town's magic at work: it refuses to be documented, just as it refuses to be remembered by those who leave.

The window is thus a guardian of the town's identity. It is tied to Daniel, who is the last Grant and the caretaker of the house. The magic is “protective over him and very much tied to Daniel's emotions,” as Jimenez notes. The window's presence in his home is a constant reminder that Wakan's magic is real, even if Daniel himself is skeptical at times. For the reader, the window becomes a tangible proof that the town is not just a setting but a character with its own will.

The Window and Alexis's Memory and Identity

The window's most profound effect is on Alexis. In Chapter 34, a month after she breaks up with Daniel, she realizes she can no longer remember what the window looked like: “I couldn't remember the stained glass on the landing. It was the oddest thing. It was just gone from my memory, like Wakan had decided to keep it when I left.” She tries to recall whether it was a garden, deer in a meadow, or a mosaic, but the memory is gone. This loss is not just about the window—it is a metaphor for the part of herself that she left behind in Wakan.

Alexis's identity is deeply tied to her family legacy and her role as a Montgomery. She is a doctor, a heiress, and a future leader of the hospital. But her time in Wakan reveals a different side of her—one that is free from the pressures of her family and the emotional abuse she endured with Neil. The window's erasure symbolizes how her old life reasserts itself once she returns to Minneapolis. She becomes “a robot,” going through the motions, and she describes herself as having “drowned” and now “floating, weightless, dead inside.” The window's disappearance from her memory is a physical manifestation of this emotional death.

The window also reflects the theme of memory and self-knowledge. Alexis cannot hold onto the magic of Wakan because she is not fully committed to it. She chooses her career and her family over Daniel, and in doing so, she forfeits the town's magic. The window's refusal to be photographed or remembered is a way of saying that Wakan's gifts are only for those who stay. Alexis's loss of the window is thus a loss of a potential self—the self who could have chosen love and belonging over obligation.

The Window's Changing Meaning Across the Novel

The window's meaning evolves from a simple aesthetic detail to a symbol of magical protection and personal loss. In Chapter 8, it is a beautiful object that contributes to Alexis's love for Grant House. She is “totally in love with it” and admires the house's antiques. The window is part of the house's allure, a piece of history that she appreciates.

By Chapter 34, the window has become a source of distress. Alexis's inability to remember it bothers her so much that she searches TripAdvisor for photos, only to find none. The window's absence from her memory is a sign that she has been cut off from Wakan's magic. The author's Q&A clarifies that the window is always changing, so even if Alexis had remembered it, she would not have seen the same scene twice. This reinforces the idea that the window is not a fixed object but a living part of the town's magic.

The window's final significance is tied to the novel's resolution. In the epilogue (Chapter 38), Alexis and Daniel are together, and the town's magic is acknowledged: “The universe had dipped its snow globe again, just for us.” The window, though not explicitly mentioned, is part of that magic. Its ability to change and erase itself is a reminder that Wakan's magic is not something that can be captured or held onto—it must be experienced in the moment. For Alexis, returning to Wakan means re-entering that magic, and the window becomes a symbol of the life she almost lost.

Connections to Themes and Characters

The window is deeply connected to several of the novel's central themes.

• Family Legacy and Obligation: The window is part of Grant House, which has been in Daniel's family for six generations. It represents the weight of history and the duty to preserve it. Daniel is the last Grant, and his struggle to keep the house—and the town—alive mirrors Alexis's own struggle with her family's legacy. The window's magical properties suggest that the town's history is not just a matter of bricks and mortar but of living magic.

• Small-Town Community and Belonging: The window is a symbol of Wakan's insularity. It only reveals itself to those who are meant to be there. Pops says the town “picks who it wants,” and the window's behavior is a microcosm of that selection process. Alexis is initially an outsider, but the town seems to accept her—until she leaves. The window's erasure from her memory is a sign that she no longer belongs.

• Self-Worth and Choosing Love: Alexis's decision to leave Daniel is framed as a choice between her family's expectations and her own happiness. The window represents the magic she could have if she chose love. Its loss is a consequence of her choice, and its eventual return (implied by the epilogue) suggests that she can reclaim it if she is willing to change her life.

• Emotional Abuse and Recovery: The window's ability to erase memory parallels the way Alexis tries to suppress her trauma. She has been emotionally abused by Neil, and her time in Wakan helps her heal. But when she returns to her old life, she loses that healing. The window's disappearance is a reminder that recovery is not permanent unless she actively chooses a different path.

The window is also tied to specific characters. For Daniel, it is part of his heritage and his role as the town's caretaker. He shows Alexis the house with pride, and the window is one of its treasures. For Alexis, the window becomes a marker of her connection to Wakan—and her loss of it. The author's Q&A notes that the magic is “very much tied to Daniel's emotions,” so the window's behavior may also reflect Daniel's state of mind. When Alexis leaves, Daniel is devastated, and the window's erasure could be seen as a response to his pain.

Study Questions

1. Why does the stained-glass window refuse to be photographed or remembered?

The window's magical properties are part of Wakan's protective magic. The town is alive and guards its secrets, as Pops explains. The window changes and erases itself from memory so that outsiders cannot carry Wakan's magic away. It only reveals itself to those who are meant to stay, and it ensures that those who leave cannot hold onto the town's essence.

1. How does Alexis's inability to remember the window reflect her emotional state after leaving Daniel?

Alexis's memory loss is a metaphor for her loss of self. After she breaks up with Daniel, she becomes emotionally numb, describing herself as a robot and feeling “dead inside.” The window's disappearance from her memory symbolizes the part of her that she left behind in Wakan—the part that was free, loved, and whole. It shows that she cannot integrate her Wakan experience into her old life, and that her choice has cost her a piece of her identity.

1. What does the window's changing appearance suggest about the nature of Wakan's magic?

The window is never described the same way twice, which means it is not a fixed object but a living, responsive part of the town. This suggests that Wakan's magic is dynamic and personal—it shows different things to different people, or at different times. It reinforces the idea that the town is a character with its own will, and that its magic cannot be captured or understood in a single way.

1. How does the window connect to the theme of family legacy and obligation?

The window is part of Grant House, which has been in Daniel's family for six generations. It represents the weight of history and the duty to preserve it. Daniel is the last Grant, and his struggle to keep the house—and the town—alive mirrors Alexis's own struggle with her family's legacy. The window's magical properties suggest that the town's history is not just a matter of bricks and mortar but of living magic, and that both Daniel and Alexis must decide what they are willing to sacrifice to honor their legacies.