The most important thing to tell yourself when analyzing word choice is that you should choose the shortest and simplest word that conveys the meaning that you want or are looking for.
If you're asking which symbol would have this effect, it would be The medical kit, because you would need to be prepared for the emergency.
Thornton Wilder expected the audience to feel nostalgic about the setting of Grover's Corners. This event is taken from the "Our Town" play created by Thornton Wilder which tells about a town named Grover's Corners. In the opening scene, the stage manager intends to makes the audience feel nostalgic because he wants to tell them about the town's history. Grover's Corners is described as a small town that does not have big landmarks.
