Mountains

The author mentions mountains often in his narrative- especially traversing them. For this story, mountains are tied to the highs and lows of following one's path and destiny. As Jozef is traversing the path laid out for him, he is experiencing high points and low points. For Jozef, the mountains are also where he has always felt safe, able to hide and be at peace during the winters with his father. From all of his vantage points in central Europe during the war, he is staring into the mountains and thinking of Ondrej.

Dreams

Jozef has many dreams in this novel. For a while, they are dreams of his mother; later, towards the end of the war, he begins to have dreams of the men he's killed, and also of Zlee after his death. It's only at the end of the war, in prison, when he...