Carignano

Carignano's remoteness and austerity symbolize Nanda Kaul's withdrawal from society in favor of solitude. The sparse, rock-strewn bareness of Carignano's garden and the plain white walls of the house are described in terms that also refer to Nanda Kaul.

Hen and worm

The hen that drags a worm out of its hole and snaps it in two represents Nanda Kaul's feelings about being torn between her past and her currently constructed self. She watches the hen and worm while she talks to Ila Das on the phone, and she feels like the worm being pulled apart by the intrusion of Ila Das.

The Pasteur Institute

The Pasteur Institute represents civilization's failure to dominate nature. The Institute dissects animals to make anti-rabies serums, but the animal corpses are thrown into the ravine behind the factory and subsequently eaten by jackals, who in turn become rabid and spread...