The Famished Road Symbols, Allegory and Motifs

The Famished Road Symbols, Allegory and Motifs

The false death

The question of Azaro's clairvoyance is one that is severe and life-threatening. Once, after a long fugue state, he awoke in a coffin. His parents believed he was dead, suffering a traditional loss of soul. In their worldview, a person's governing spirit or soul can get distracted by concerns in another dimension, wandering out of the body and into new dimensions, often never to be heard from again. This symbolizes a lot, but not least of which it symbolizes Azaro's resiliency, the intensity of his sublime encounters with the spirit realm, and his willingness to participate in his life, even at the risk of personal harm and suffering. This constitutes rebirth since he "raises from death."

The anti-father

Azaro's father isn't very kind, especially considering the difficult experience of reality that Azaro has. Instead of providing support and stability, Azaro's father is cruel and demanding, often getting drunk and beating him. He plays the victim of Azaro's situation, pretending that Azaro is costing the family their reputation by allowing the spirits to harass the town. In reality, Azaro's father is responsible for their negative effect on the community because he plagues Azaro's mental health.

Madame Koto

Naturally, Azaro enjoys leaving the house, but it isn't easy to know where to go. Unless he has an invitation from someone, he can't visit often without imposing. That makes Madame Koto a kind of godmother for him, because she allows him to be with her. She positions herself as a servant for the important people in town. She symbolizes a different aspect of community than Azaro would see at home. Instead of the patriarchy of his home, Koto's bar is clearly a matriarchal environment. It shows Azaro the aspects of life that are not present in his home, including the systemic injustice that afflicts his own family.

The Black Tyger

Finally, Azaro's father realizes that he wants to fight. The boy provides spirits for him to practice fighting. This is a strange reversal of a common motif. Instead of an older man training a young boxer, here a young spiritualist is training his old man to fight demons. The father fighting his son's demons is an interesting symbol, and when the father experiences a change of identity, becoming The Black Tyger, that signals a transformation of the family.

The allegory of power inversion

The novel can be seen as an allegory about power inversion in the home. Psychologically, Azaro is the alpha in their home, which the father plays the victim about. This happens subconsciously when Azaro experiences a broader, more sublime version of reality than his father's more narrow understanding of reality. That leaves him with more gravitas. That also explains why the father plays the victim and challenges Azaro to physical combat. It isn't until the father willingly undertakes a battle against the negative aspects of chaos (symbolized by angry spirits) that the home is restore. Azaro is at peace when his father does his part in the home, fighting against evil (broadly speaking).

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