Lock Every Door: A Novel

Content Warning: The source text references multiple deaths by suicide and deals with the psychological effects of trauma, loss, and grief. It also uses stigmatizing and potentially offensive language to refer to people experiencing mental illness.

The Bartholomew symbolizes wealth and power, connecting it to the theme of Wealthy–Vulnerable Power Dynamics. Located in New York City’s expensive Upper West Side neighborhood, the Bartholomew is a famous and imposing 13-story Manhattan apartment building. Its architecture is a key facet of its renown, with uppermost floors resembling a cathedral and lined with Gothic gargoyles. These physical aspects of the structure and its striking visual effects suggest a building that is important and highly visible throughout the city. Even New Yorkers like Jules, who aren’t members of the wealthy class, are familiar with the building and have heard the legends about it.

The Bartholomew’s management and residents discriminate against anyone outside of elite classes. The permanent tenants are all “very prominent people” who “don’t want strangers walking through their building” (34). They either inherited their apartments or managed to secure the Bartholomew unit of their choice by overriding the waiting list via money, power, or reputation. This suggests that living at the Bartholomew requires either generational wealth, significant power, or both.