Suicide - “Life on Grimsey Island”
Vasquez writes, "He (Oliveira) didn't want to think he'd failed her. He wondered if Agatha had thought of him before or after opening her veins, or if she hadn't considered his presence at all, if after all he'd been nothing more than that evening's one-night stand. Maybe he had failed her. Maybe he'd had in his hands and in his voice the way to prevent Agatha's death." Agatha terminates her life by way of slitting veins. Oliveira is troubled by the circumstances of the suicide for he is not sure about the main trigger. He reckons that he many have contributed to the suicide by disappointing Agatha, but he cannot confirm his doubts considering that Agatha, the only party who would have answered them, is already expired. Oliveira depicts indicators of a guilty conscious considering that he is the last individual who sees Agatha alive. The end result of their 'one-night stand' is a death that will most likely haunt Oliveira for long.
Misfortune - “Hiding Places”
Claire states, "Poor Philippe, his poor family. I swear, they have such bad luck, it's as if they're cursed…In his family terrible things have happened, if only you knew, it's as if nothing comes out right for them. But maybe, just maybe, he does it to look out for himself." The happenings in the life of Philippe and his household which comprise his father and sister affirm that they are not fortunate. To illustrate, Philippe's sister is a victim of domestic violence; Philippe is unemployed and their father is an alcoholic. These realities imply that the family weathers challenges at all times which hinders them from delighting in life. The family members are expected to be stressed by the unfortunate occurrences which plague their lives intensively.
“Separation” - “The All Saints’ Day Lovers”
Vasquez writes, “I’d imagined the moment of separation so many times that I was now able to vary the details or the settings as if I were planning a film. Sometimes it would happen at night, after a fierce argument; other times, I’d leave before dawn, like a coward or a thief, aware I could no longer bear Michelle’s sadness or the burden of her tears.” The vivid imagination suggests that the romance is not smooth. The narrator prepares himself for the eventual separation from Michelle which would be painful. Michelle’s situation could be the reason why their separation is inevitable because it is hindering them from being happy.
Hunting - “The All Saints’ Day Lovers”
Vasquez elucidates, “Going hunting in the afternoons was different. Mornings meant large groups of old hunters, unavoidable rituals, solemnity. In the afternoons, it wasn’t like that. One went out hunting to breathe the mountain air and to feel the silence and the solitude and the coolness in the trees.” Different age groups prefer different hunting times; the old hunters prefer the mornings whereas the younger ones prefer the afternoons. Rituals conducted before the hunting depict hunting as a lifestyle which the partakers delight in. Moreover, hunting permits individual to relish nature and the clean air which is present in the woods.
