43 pages • 1 hour read
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Summary
Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Character Analysis
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
Tools
“It made me feel sad, horrified, for even someone as foul as he was did not deserve death. Who on earth does? The same fate awaits me too, and Oddball, and the Deer outside; one day we shall all be nothing more than corpses.”
This quote reveals Janina’s tragic view of existence and her egalitarian notions about other species. She lumps the deer into the same category as humans. The death of an animal should be mourned with the same gravity as that of a friend or even an enemy like Big Foot.
“Now pay attention, there’s something you’re not seeing here, the crucial starting point of a process that’s hidden from you, but that’s worthy of the highest attention.”
Big Foot’s little finger supposedly offers this advice as it points upward in rigor mortis. His words echo William Blake’s notion that the macrocosm is contained in the microcosm. They also reinforce Janina’s insistence that everything in life is connected.
“That’s why I try my best never to use first names and surnames, but prefer epithets that come to mind of their own accord the first time I see a Person. I’m sure this is the right way to use language, rather than tossing about words stripped of all meaning.”
Janina rarely views the world from its surface. She always looks for deeper meaning. Thus, she recognizes that language can often obscure truth. Names are the product of a specific social order, but they have nothing to do with the truth of an individual life.
Plus, gain access to 8,650+ more expert-written Study Guides.
Including features:
By Olga Tokarczuk
Books on Justice & Injustice
View Collection
Earth Day
View Collection
Horror, Thrillers, & Suspense
View Collection
Mystery & Crime
View Collection
National Book Awards Winners & Finalists
View Collection
Nobel Laureates in Literature
View Collection
Revenge
View Collection
Satire
View Collection
The Best of "Best Book" Lists
View Collection
The Booker Prizes Awardees & Honorees
View Collection