Dilapidated building
The Cathedral Ned’s father went to France to photograph is the place from which the strange chain of events start unfolding. Because of this, the cathedral is described on various occasions in the novel. in the first chapter, the cathedral is described from two different point of views, first from the father’s view point and then from Ned’s. When Ned’s father described the Cathedral, it appears as if the building is a wonderful and almost perfect place. When Ned describes it however, the cathedral is portrayed as a rather dilapidated building, filled with rubble and in a rather bad shape. The way in which Ned portrays the building is important because his description is later used to explain why so many strange things happened in the cathedral and around it.
The unknown woman
The most important image in the novel is that of the statue of the unknown woman in the church. The statue is extremely worn down to the point where no facial features of the woman can be recognized. Despite this, Ned feels attracted to the statue and the image of the statue continues to be extremely important to him to the point where he would do anything to see it again.
Just a normal night
In the third chapter of the novel, the narrator describes a carefree and happy night Ned spent at the villa where his father and the rest of his team were staying. This image is a perfect representation of how normal life was supposed to be. This image can also be compared with the way in which Ned’s situation will change drastically to the point where nothing will ever be again.
Rebellious child
Ned is described through the way in which he interacts with others. Through these interactions, Ned is painted as a normal teenager, someone who is learning how to be independent and think for himself. Because of this, Ned started to drift apart from his father to the point where they no longer had almost any common subjects to talk about. This image, of Ned drifting apart from his father is used here to explain why Ned did not shared the strange things he was feeling with his father and those around him.
