The Ladder (Symbol)
Getting into trouble Nikki’s desire is to find a way out of the hole. When he arrives to the village, he decides to ladder to the woman, who lives in the sandy hole. But inhabitants of this village take away the ladder and Nikki is entrapped. He tries to get out of the hole, using different means as climbing the sand or asking for help. And his single hope for the life-saving is a ladder. The ladder is a symbol of the freedom, but unfortunately he isn’t able to use it due to wicked people. The ladder plays a very important role symbolizing the person’s biggest desire – to be free.
Radio (Symbol)
In the house of the woman, who lives in the hole the radio, hanging on the wall, can be observed. Nikki finds it at once, when he gets into the hole. The woman always listens to the radio, gets to know about the news and events all over the world. The radio can connect one person with another. The radio symbolizes a connection with the outer world and the society. But it is just metaphorical symbol, as the even listening to the news the woman does not want to see that world, she is satisfied with the present way of things. The radio here stands more like a reminder of the other world.
Philosophy, Life (Motif)
The novel is about life itself and after the reading some people may start thinking over their life from different aspects. Life is not water, which allows people, who can swim, to come out of the trouble. It is sand, which covers people with many problems slowly. When the main hero feels the difficulty of "sand", he begins to be deep in thoughts about the meaning of one’s life. Even if you have some family troubles or your boss has discharged you from the office, it is not the end of the world. These two motifs widely discover the main theme of this work and help people to become conscious of the value of their existence.
