Gray first appears in Chapter 2, in which brightly dressed children run across a bleak backdrop of gray buildings. Gray is immediately placed in contrast to the lively and energetic children, it continues to be a symbol of dreariness throughout the book. Maud describes her dead Uncle Tim as looking like a gray doll, directly associating the color with death.

Paul and Maud’s first apartment is described as gray, a stark contrast to the lively and polished life Paul promises Maud. After living there for some time, Maud feels that she’s taking on the colors and characteristics of the dreary building:

“She was becoming aware of an oddness in color and sound and smell about her, the color and sound and smell of the kitchenette building. The color was gray, and the smell and sound had taken on a suggestion of the properties of color, and impressed one as gray, too” (63).

The gray life Paul provides stands in opposition to the energy and liveliness at the beginning and end of the novel. It’s significant that when Maud walks away from her housekeeping job, it’s along a blossoming tree-lined street, a clear contrast to the drab disappointments she’s faced because of Paul’s failures.