Hope and inspiration (Motif)
The narrator’s hope is somehow idealistic, it is not just a hope to get daily bread. If the narrator gets inspiration, he immediately plans to write anything possible - from the devastating philosophical treatise in 3 parts to the play of medieval life. His thoughts are burning, pen trembles, but soon an inspiration declines and the narrator gives up the manuscript or even tears it into small pieces. Many descriptions of writer’s torment are revealed in the story, but the only successful treatise is written under the spur of the moment, for which he got 10 crowns. The motif of inspiration, which arises hope right away, can be traced within the entire story. Each time he gets an inspiration he loses it just the next moment, and, tortured by hunger, cannot complete either of his ideas.
Darkness (Motif)
Suffering from severe hunger the narrator very often is pursued by darkness, especially at nights. It is not just the lack of daylight, it is darkness that covers his soul, it hides the whole world from the his sight. During these moment, when darkness gets possession of him, the narrator is unable to think clear, seems like he starts to lose his sanity, he gets absorbed in darkness’s nets and cannot find way out. Sometimes even daylight does not help him. Hunger always brings this darkness over him, black eternity broods over his thoughts.
