Monotony
The first few pages of the novel are devoted to describing the registry office where Jose works. The descriptions are long and very detailed, giving an idea of the monotony Jose experiences daily. For example, Saramago even details where and how the index cards are stored: "In order not to lose the thread in such an important matter, it might be a good idea to begin by establishing where the card indexes and the archives are kept and how they work. They are divided, structurally and essentially, or put more simply, according to the law of nature, in two large areas, the archives and card indexes of the dead and the card indexes and archives of the living."
Loneliness
Jose is described as a lonely character, who is not fulfilled in his personal relationships. The author makes pertinent comments about the dangers of loneliness and the need for fulfilling social interaction, for example: “All the great sadnesses, great temptations, and great mistakes are almost always the result of being alone in life, without a prudent friend to advise us when we are troubled by something more serious than our normal everyday problems.” Here, the narrator comments on the fact that Jose does not have a reliable friend to tell him that his actions have become obsessive and harmful.
Obsession
In this novel, the most significant example of obsession is Jose’s fixation on the unknown woman. In the frenzy of this obsession, he resorts to dangerous and harmful actions. The narrator suggests, however, that Jose’s obsession is a normal human reaction to chaos, and is a way to deal with the uncertainty in the world. He points to other examples of obsession in the following passage:
“There are people like Senhor José everywhere, who fill their time, or what they believe to be their spare time, by collecting stamps, coins, medals, vases, postcards, matchboxes, books, clocks, sport shirts, autographs, stones, clay figurines, empty beverage cans, little angels, cacti, opera programmes, lighters, pens, owls, music boxes, bottles, bonsai trees, paintings, mugs, pipes, glass obelisks, ceramic ducks, old toys, carnival masks.”
Photographs
Photographs recur repeatedly in the text and represent memories and reminders of the past. In the following passage, the narrator discusses the illusory nature of photographs, as they do not tell us who we are today: “Old photographs are very deceiving, they give us the illusion that we are alive in them, and it's not true, the person we are looking at no longer exists, and if that person could see us, he or she would not recognize him or herself in us, 'Who's that looking at me so sadly,' he or she would say.”
