The Woman in the Dunes

“An entomologist must concentrate his whole attention within a radius of about three yards around his feet.”

This sentence hints at the man’s shortsightedness. His preoccupation with his own thoughts makes him less capable of interpreting the feelings of others. It also foreshadows the narrow scope of existence that the woman has in the sand pit.

“How shall I put it…sand represents purity, cleanliness.”

The man is obsessed with sand for its near uniformity, unassailable power, and existence as flow. To him, that is a more pure or true mode of being than being stationary, pointing to the novel’s exploration of Stability Versus Movement. However, he has yet to learn about the oppressive nature of sand when it surrounds and invades one’s living space and body.

“He had been lured by the beetle into a desert from which there was no escape—like some famished mouse.”

The man’s interest in beetles springs from a particular beetle that lures its prey with an unusual flight pattern. His interest in beetles originally led him to the seaside village, and now, trapped in the sand pit, he sees the woman as the distracting beetle, luring him in by seduction.