"The Gaze" interweaves themes concerning real and photographed behavior and themes concerning the uses of curtains, ranging from fabric tied back, revealing a seductive figure painted by Ingres, to the light protective covering over an Old Master drawing being raised by a visitor.
The central themes concerning secrets and deceit inform so many things, from that opening shot, to the cold and mistrustful way the characters communicate with each other, to the deceptive manner with which the film is structured.
(A glance through the New Yorker cartoon archives reveals the bird to be a rich comedic inspiration, with popular themes concerning road crossing, notions of free-rangedom, and the eternal question of the provenance of the chicken and the egg).
The controversial novel followed an average citizen in his attempt to escape the omnipresent eye of a dystopian government and espoused themes concerning the nature of nationalism, sexual repression, censorship, and privacy.
New Year's celebrations, often accompanied by a temporary abandonment of all rules, may be related to or justified by mythical themes concerning a return to chaos and a return of the dead.
The stories of Nat and Archy and their families become a choral tale that addresses many of Mr. Chabon's perennial themes — concerning fathers and sons, husbands and wives, and the consolations of art — while underscoring his ability to write magically about just about anything.
