The imagery of death
This novel is unabashedly about death. The hero dies before the novel even begins. The hero is strangely perplexed by death during his entire life, as we learn from the postmortem testimonies of his survivors. The imagery of death is completed by the funeral, the wake, and the evening party in his honor. Although this is somewhat confusing, it makes sense; people in grief do not want to be alone, and the support of people who share their pain is valuable, so in the evening, instead of going home and being alone, they stay together and weep and share stories.
The yin-yang balance
The painful reality of death is balanced by balance itself, giving this novel a Taoist feel. For instance, Sancher has two women that he leaves behind, evidence of his own inner duality and his inner complexity. The women represent the balance of life and death too, because although they are both living, only one brought a child to term by Sancher; the other miscarried. The death of Sancher's son and the death of Sancher himself makes Vilma want to die with him. This is Taoist, because it is like a dark spot in a white paisley (in the yin-yang sign). That raises this important question: If the portrait of life contains elements of death, then does Sancher's death contain some sort of unseen life? That is the silent but thematic question of the novel.
Village life in a tribe
The stories told about Sancher embed his legacy in the context of tribal life on a remote island. The village is hesitant about newcomers, but Sancher wins them over. This cycle of rejection and acceptance lends an ironic undertone to the funeral proceedings. At first, they didn't want anything to do with him, but after he had his affect on the community, they can't fathom life without him. This is also an imagery with a balance, because in a silent way, it proves that Sancher was a powerful and intelligent man capable of forgiveness and patience. Not everyone earns acceptance after being rejected by a group.
Pastiche and legacy
The imagery that best describes this novel's depiction of legacy is pastiche, or vignette. The legacy is like a sphere of influence, but each person only sees Sancher's character through a list of limited moments with him. Therefore, their testimonies about his character are a pastiche that culminates into a heroic shadow of an epic character. This use of imagery is an interesting approach to character development because it shows character creation in a time after the character's own life.
