← All themes
The Four Men · Theme
Mortality and Transience
How The Four Men develops Mortality and Transience.
The narrative is suffused with an awareness of decay and loss, from the impending doom of the county to the final parting of the four companions, emphasizing that all earthly things—houses, love, and comradeship—are fleeting.
Where it surfaces
- The Second of November 1902
The narrator reflects on the loss of youth, the Day of the Dead, and the inevitability of death, but finds solace in leaving a legacy to the land.