Islands - “Life on Grimsey Island”
Vasquez writes, "Agatha formed part of a street's waking routine. The baker, the boy, Agatha. Three islands, and Oliveira just another island. Maybe communication between two people was never possible, or it was possible but imperfect." The allegorical islands underscore the non-existent communication between Agatha, "the baker, and the boy." Although they most probably see and pump into each other along the street, they rarely interact. All of them are lonesome individuals. Oliveira reckons that he may have been another Island considering that his intimacy with Agatha is short-lived and it does not mitigate the solitude which may have prompted her suicide.
Betrayal - “Hiding Places”
Vasquez recounts, "Then I thought she would like to guide me through the paintings when I saw them for the first time, and looking at them without her would be a minor betrayal." Viewing the paintings in Claire's absence is tantamount to betrayal because they are her works. According to Vasquez, Claire's paintings are similar to an intimacy that should be bared to the viewer by herself. Claire deserves fidelity from all her audiences; thus, she would not anticipate them to peer into her work secretly without her knowledge.
Anesthetized - “Life On Grímsey Island”
Vasquez writes, “The van was resting beside the curb like an anesthetized horse. To Oliveira it seemed like a useless, obsolete, almost despicable machine.” “Anesthetization” denotes the van’s dormancy. Its positioning has not changed since the last night.
Coins - “Hiding places”
Vasquez writes, “I followed him (Gibert), eyes fixed on the green water, on the marshy shore, on the heads of the frogs that shone like floating coins and escaped with small commotions when they saw us coming.” Coins denote the omnipresence of frogs in the pond. Due to their conspicuous shining they can be easily noticed. Frogs have transformed the pond into their ‘hiding place.’
