Geography and Time
The seven stories in this book share a deep connection with different locations and time as the narrator travels a long way to connect with his estranged son. It is emphasized that living far from one another for a long time has made their relationship weak. The book also highlights that able to see your loved one frequently builds that connection into a strong one. Despite the narrator making this long journey to reconnect with his son, the book emphasizes the futility of taking such ambitious steps as they always don’t work out as expected in the end
This is revealed when the father fails in his mission to reconnect and find a new appreciation for their bond. All the time spent separate from one another has created a rift that cannot be mended with one encounter. The book, however, hints if kept at it, these rifts can be mended and father and son can finally learn to love and appreciate their relationship. Just as time away destroys these bonds, time together builds them back up again.
Cultural Identity and Destiny
Through sharing one culture, people can come together in harmony. At the same time, people might feel burdened by their culture and might seek to escape it. They feel that some form of freedom from cultural expectations might push them into better opportunities than they previously had. In the book, a fisherman’s son is conflicted because he doesn’t want to be like his father. He sees his father as an individual who is so stuck in his ways that he’s doomed for failure. He sees an opportunity to leave home and escape a life he doesn’t want for one that might bring him joy and happiness.
In other stories, a number of people are trying to escape a life they deem unworthy. They are motivated to take control of their lives and find some fulfilling meaning in life. They constantly feel weighed down by their families and traditions. While others seek to escape their past some are intrigued to learn about their past after they’ve gone out and lived their lives outside and f their cultural boundaries. They now seek to look back and find a new appreciation from where they once came from.
