He unclosed his eyes and saw again the water below him. "if i could free my hands," he thought, "i might throw off the noose and spring into the stream. by diving i could evade the bullets and, swimming vigorously, reach the bank, take to the woods and get away home. my home, thank god, is as yet outside their lines; my wife and little ones are still beyond the invader’s farthest advance." what theme does the motif of hands represent in the excerpt and throughout the story? hands represent the indistinct line between dreams and reality. hands represent the perpetual struggle against fate. hands represent the idea of justice. hands represent the importance of love and family.