Monastery

The monastery embodies the cumulative effects of time, care, and natural forces, with every tree, gate, and courtyard shaped over centuries to guide and support visitors. It serves as a space where human and natural histories converge, reflecting the novel’s themes of alignment, continuity, and the coexistence of beauty and suffering.

Train Station

The train station marks the threshold between the everyday world and the monastery’s timeless, ordered realm. It is a site of transition where the grandson begins his journey, guided by forces he perceives, while the retinue flounders, highlighting their disconnection from the natural and divine order. The station’s emptiness emphasizes the novel’s attention to absence and the influence of unseen processes.

Deserted Town

The deserted town underscores the novel’s focus on forces beyond human comprehension. Its emptiness, coupled with hints of a problem or disaster that has led to the...