Like savages
At the beginning of the book, the narrator points out the idea that for a long time, the African nations were compared with uneducated savages, interested only in violence and impossible to educate and change. This similarity is an important one here because it shows just how prejudiced the rest of the world was towards the African countries.
Like conquering armies
The narrator describes the arrival of Christianity in Africa and he compares the strategies used by the religious leaders to those used by ancient armies. This comparison wants to highlight the idea that Christianity, despite wanting to paint itself as a religion of peace, was far from it and that it destroyed almost all native religions which existed in Africa.
Metaphor for purity
The narrator mentions the importance many religions give to fire. Both Christianity and the African religions are mentioned and the narrator points out that fire has the same meaning almost universally. As such, for all religions, fire is seen as a metaphor for cleansing.
Fields of grain
The narrator mentions towards the middle of the story an idyllic image of an endless field, golden with ripe grain. This image evokes in the mind of the narrator a sense of pride and love for him own country. Because of this, the fields are used here as a metaphor for abundance.
The broken down carriage
The book ends with the narrator describing a broken down carriage on the side of the road. The carriage is abandoned and surrounded by withered vegetation. The carriage is important for the narrator because it pushes him to meditate on the state of life in the country he is. As such, the carriage is used here as a metaphor for poverty.
