The theme expressed when the tannery factory arrives in the village is urban vs. rural life. The tannery represents modernity. It transforms the village environmentally and economically. It also changes the relationships between the people within the village. The tannery also represents commercialism that was considered a threat to village life. As a symbol of modernity, the tannery allows some of the characters to think of the larger developments going on in the world. This encourages two of them to leave their own home in search of work elsewhere.
