Names

The names of several characters represent additional, more general levels of meaning. To be specific, the words "arnaq," "inuk," "ivik," and "angajou," in the original Greenlandic, represent the archetypal or universal concepts of "woman," "humanity," "blade of grass" and "older sister." This suggests that on some level, the names and experiences of these characters are intended to be interpreted, by the reader, as having some kind of connection to the archetypal experiences the names represent.

Alcohol

Throughout the narrative, alcohol represents the two sides of freedom - the side that brings joy, and the side that brings trouble. Several of the characters (particularly Arnaq, but also Ivik and Sara) experience both sides of the alcohol coin; all three recognize that the line between the two sides is a very fine one; and while Arnaq seems to accept those dangers as the price of having the joy...