Content Warning: This section discusses child abuse, violence, and murder.

In folklore, ants often represent resourcefulness and useful activity, as in Aesop’s fable “The Ant and the Grasshopper.” In the novel, highlighting the theme of Power, Agency, and Usefulness, ants frequently appear to guide Mary into making a choice or discovering information that will lead her to gaining power or understanding her purpose in the world.

Before they take on a supernatural ability, ants are a symbol of the rot and decay at the heart of the Cross House. Their infestation is first noted near Damon Cross’s corpse: “Ants were a common enough sight at scenes like this (more common outside, but there’s something appropriate about this mansion, for all its façade of respectability, being so infested). They were drawn to the blood” (5). While the swarm of insects is an image of revulsion, the ants are soon revealed to be a helpful presence to Mary in particular. When Mary was trapped in the Cross House overnight as a child, she ate ants to survive.

When Mary returns to Arroyo as an adult, her connection to the ants resumes, with ants aiding her in times of struggle. The ants often lead Mary to important information, signaling clues about the identity of the ghost women, directing her to parts of the Cross House she should explore, or saving her life.