Merritt offers Delphie the chance to return to Earth because she wants Delphie to live a full and meaningful life, and Evermore is presented as the exact opposite of that goal. Thus, the specter of Evermore becomes a symbol of Delphie’s unlived life and wasted opportunities. Only when Delphie arrives in Evermore does she realize how much of her life has been wasted, and it is ironic that she must die in order to understand this. Evermore represents Delphie’s failure to fully live her life. During her 10-day second chance on Earth, Delphie is filled with uncertainty about what Evermore will actually hold for her if she is destined to return there, and she also wonders what her afterlife might be like if she is banned from Evermore. Yet the more time she spends on Earth and begins to enjoy her life, the more Delphie sees Evermore as the end of all of her happiness. Thus, while her visit to Evermore is the catalyst for her change, Delphie believes that Evermore symbolizes the opposite of a life well lived.