The Village
The image of the small village, where the action takes place, plays the significant role in this novel. It is a usual “poor village, whose roofs, weighted down with stones; lay clustered around a high fire tower”. Inhabitants don’t take care of their dwellings and prefer to have a carefree existence. “Beyond, there are probably more dunes, and the sea. And the “fields of potatoes and peanuts, and the odor of domestic animals” hint at the industry of people. It seems that this village doesn’t have some unique things, but Nikki finds it attractive and unusual.
The Main Heroine
The main heroine of this novel is a woman, who lives in the dunes. She appears as a person, who likes her style of life and doesn’t want to change it for better. Firstly, “Nikki is wondered whether the woman is old; she has been called granny”. But when he meets her for the first time, she is a “smallish, nice sort of woman around thirty”. As to her appearance, perhaps “she is wearing powder”, because for someone, who lives by the sea, “she is amazingly white”. Anyway, Nikki is very grateful for her kindness, because she helps him to survive in the hole.
Insect
Reading about Nikki and his entomological profession, there must be some arguments about his fascinating job. The reader can find very interesting images of insects. For example, the beetle, which “front legs are black, slender, and agile”. However, the front legs of this one seem to “be covered with a stout sheath; they are round, almost chubby, and cream-colored. Of course, they may have been smeared with pollen”. And if these observations of his work are correct, it will be the most important discovery of his insect’s collection.
