A skull (Symbol)
A skull of a dead animal – “the old sheep skull” – becomes a symbol of death. Jacob finds it on a shore and as it turns out to be later he just can’t help but taking it with him. It looks frighteningly, an awful mark of death. Later on, Betty sees that Jacob takes “the sheep jaw with the big yellow teeth” with him to bed. He is fast asleep, as immovable as a dead man and the remains of the skull near him look as sigh that one day that little boy is going to be dead one day too.
Butterflies (Allegory)
Unlike Archer, who is fond of the Navy and can’t help waiting to join it, young Jacob “is after his butterflies as usual”. Butterflies become an allegory of a short but rather eventful life. They live fast, some of them have only one day for them to make in time. Fire and bright light which fascinates butterflies is an allegory for knowledge. Jacob, just like a butterfly, tries to reach the light, to learn more about the world and his place in it.
Mortality (Motif)
It is as clear as a day that people are mortal and sooner or later a life comes its end. No matter, what one does, how one lives or what dreams one has, the end is going to be the same for everyone. People’s lives are shorter than they seem to be. It is really rather frightening thought that our desks, flats, cars and whatnot are going to be “dusty” one day, for we won’t be able to use it anymore.
