"Moonlit Landscape with Bridge"

The painting, "Moonlit Landscape with Bridge," by Dutch artist Aert van der Neer, shares its name with the title of the story and symbolizes the darkness that exists behind every society. The Minister brings the painting with him to Paris and is glad he is able to salvage it among his other belongings. The painting, which depicts a small village surrounding a bridge over water at nighttime, comes to represent the obscured pasts that contribute to any developed civilization. While the painting itself is not interpreted this way, within the context of the story, the author challenges readers to recognize that many societies are often born at the expense of others in the form of pain and violence.

Long Hair

Long hair, which is alluded to frequently throughout the story, symbolizes the mercenary army that committed atrocities in the name of an unspecified...