illustrate symbolism in the lion and the jewel

Symbol: The Camera

The stranger's camera symbolizes modernity. It is a newfangled object to the extent that one of the village girls calls it a "one-eyed box" (10). It is able to capture Sidi's young, beautiful image and reproduce it for everyone to see and gaze on in perpetuity.

Symbol: The Railway

The railway is another symbol of Western modernity. Railways, commonly implemented by European colonial governments, is a system of transportation, something that brings people in and takes people out. It irrevocably opens a place up to the rest of the world, and this is why Baroka is so opposed to it. The physical breaking of the ground represents to him a smashing of tradition and autonomy.