Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
Wedding Banned
The night Rick learns that Lori and Carl are still alive, Lori returns his wedding ring to him. (We're not sure why he wasn't wearing it—hospital policy, maybe?) "I'm so glad you saved this for me. I felt naked without it," (283) he tells her. What she doesn't tell him is that she slept with Shane when she thought Rick was dead. Maybe if you're not wearing a ring, the marriage doesn't count? We have no idea what her logic is. Anyway, the wedding ring symbolizes here what it usually symbolizes—union and fidelity. Once he's wearing the ring, Shane's out of the picture as far as Lori's concerned.
The ring episode also seems to illustrate that even when society seems to have totally fallen apart, there's still value in keeping up traditional social structures as best as you can. Relationships still matter.