A running theme throughout The Hotel New Hampshire by John Irving is Sorrow and the different forms that are taken on during the novel. "Franny had warned us: she'd told us to be on the lookout for Sorrow's new poses, Sorrow's new disguises- (257). John and his siblings understand that Sorrow can never leave; Sorrow never will leave, no matter how hard they try to shake it. In the beginning of the novel, Sorrow is disguised' in the form of their dog, appropriately named Sorrow; when the family moves to Germany, Sorrow takes on the form of Susie the Bear; and in the final part of their lives, when the family is living in New York, Sorrow takes on the form of the youngest sibling, Lilly.
Irving uses an interesting writing technique to introduce tragic events: he states the event matter-of-factly and the reader hardly wants to believe what he or she is seeing. Slowly and surely, Irving uses times to follow the tragic event to convince the reader that Franny is actually raped or Lilly actually kills herself. This technique draws out the Sorrow in the event and the even into the following happy times. Sorrow is put to sleep the day that Franny is raped and Sorrow is the only living being that can comfort Franny after what happens to her. The only comfort that Franny can have is from Junior Jones and he tells her that Chipper Dove and his friends did not get the her inside, her soul and spirit. Franny emphatically states to John through the bathroom door, "Nobody got the fucking me in me- (111). Sorrow hangs over Franny for a long time as she constantly takes baths to cleanse her body from the abuse; and gradually, Franny begins to take less and less baths each day. Slowly, the Sorrow lifts from her shoulders and allows Franny to sit up again and be proud again.
When the family moves to Germany, Sorrow is a literal item, now stuffed, which brings just that: Sorrow. Egg and Mother take the second flight, after the rest of the family, and Egg insists on bringing Sorrow on his lap.