Metaphor for The South’s Dark Past
Nearly all events in the novel occur in the Marshall Plantation and though the location is fictitious it is based on actual plantations located in many places all over the American South. The location however is there more than just for local flavor; it is present more for it’s historical and cultural significance. Plantations are a metaphorical reminder of what the South’s once was: a hub of slavery, human trafficking, and social stratification. The plantations are not the only relics that have survived that bygone era however as many of the denizens of the plantation still bring with them their old racist and classist mindset.
Metaphor for Layers of Social Divisions
The novel also includes several descriptions of Louisiana but very far from the tourist-frequented areas. In fact, other than the plantation, most of the novel’s narratives also revolve around rural Louisiana, specifically Cajun country. This was also included not just for local flavor and color but also to include an additional layer of social relevance as Cajuns, despite being white, are generally looked down upon for being poorer than the rest of the white population, or as half breeds, and swamp-dwellers. Rural Louisiana is a metaphor for the elitist mindset that has been deeply ingrained into the minds of the residents of the area.
Metaphor for Being Trapped in the Past
During the Civil war era owning a plantation meant great wealth and influence. In order to keep generating wealth a segment of the land, the Slave Quarter, was allocated to house the manpower needed to keep such an operation going. Despite the novel being set in the 1970’s it is clear that deep racial divisions were very much alive in the American South. Many black Americans residing in this area lived there not by choice, they did so because there was no other option. Living there though meant so much more than just staying in an area designated for slaves; in an almost literal sense they were stuck in a place and time where racism was the tragic norm. Staying in the slave quarters was metaphorical for being trapped in the past because the opportunities for upward social mobility there are so far and few in between--even less so if you were black.
Metaphor for Rage and Change
When Gil reports to his bigoted father, Fix, that a veritable army of aged, shotgun-toting, black men are gathered ala lynch mob and waiting for him he is, perhaps for the first time in many years, genuinely rattled. Nearly all his life he has operated on the notion that his race, his gender, and his social affiliations have given him a modicum of invulnerability in the South. This not only gets his attention very quickly but also quickly tells him that whatever power he once enjoyed was no longer his; it was now with the armed posse waiting for him. The shotguns that Mathu et al wield are more than just weapons, they are a metaphorical representation of the rage that has built up within the black community of the Marshall Plantation and that rage has finally spilled over. In addition, the shotguns also represent change for the black community as they will no longer take the abuse.
Metaphor for Power
Race, gender, economic means--these concepts are only really relevant with regard to power they provide and nothing more--and no place is that more concretely felt than the American South, and no community feels it more profoundly than the black American communities living in those areas. Given the immense privilege it extends to wealthy, white men, and conversely, seeing the powerlessness experienced by women, the poor, Cajuns and Blacks, it can be said that race, gender, and wealth are variations of the same metaphorical concept: power.
