“I looked at its limp skeleton in the pot by the window and thought, Man, someone who believes in omens could have a field day with this one.” 

Jenny kills the plant John gives her not from a lack of attention but from an abundance of unnecessary watering and fretting. The more Jenny waters the plant, the worse the plant gets, and the worse the plant gets, the more Jenny waters it, until it’s nothing but a skeleton of what the plant used to be. This foreshadows Jenny’s eagerness and excitement in her first pregnancy, which ends in miscarriage, with the dead fetus on the sonogram screen at the obstetrician’s office mirroring the image of a limp plant skeleton.

“Once we got the joint just right, of course, it only made sense that we bring home a large, four-legged roommate with sharp toenails, large teeth, and exceedingly limited English-language skills to start tearing it apart again.” 

John and Jenny work tirelessly to refurbish their Florida bungalow home. They are proud of and emotionally attached to the immaculate oak floors and the refinished touches they’ve brought in to upgrade the house. The Grogans are not materialistic people, but John acknowledges the work and pride they’ve put into making their old rundown bungalow a charming home. This is one of many ominous warnings of the destruction Marley will bring to the house.

“Still, for all his juvenile antics, Marley was serving an important role in our home and in our relationship. Through his very helplessness, he was showing Jenny she could handle this maternal nurturing thing.” 

Despite his lack of discipline and his destructive nature, Marley plays a valuable role in the Grogan family. This sets the foundation for the theme of unconditional love. John is regularly frustrated by Marley, but he never doubts Marley’s place in the family, and he’s the one who protects Marley from Jenny’s postpartum ultimatum.