I like the parallel between the roses blooming on her head and her journey of learning how to let go. When she accepts her neighbors incessant drumming a rose opens on her head. It is as if whenever a flower grows, it means she too is growing as a person.

As I read The Beholder, towards the end I started to think about the saying "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder". I never really thought about what it means until reading this story. It means beauty and love are subjective, and our narrator is learning to love herself when she finally hangs up on the doctor and becomes at peace with herself.