Okada as a symbol for hope
Okada represents the chance for something to change in the future. It's important because Otama realizes too late that she has bound her fate to a cruel, dishonorable man. She is left in a paradoxical relationship with him where she suddenly fears him all the more and desires him not at all. Therefore her role as his servant becomes hollow and perfunctory. She dreams of regaining her life and her identity, and her prayers manifest in Okada, the possible savior.
The symbolic ending
In the end, there is a question about whether Okada is secretly the narrator of the story. In that event, the moral question of the book would be, if you were Okada, would you intervene and try to sneak the woman out? Or would you decide like the narrator states, that you find yourself lacking in that pursuit? The invitation is the hero's quest.
The allegory of the naggy wife
Powerful men with naggy wives is a common motif in human history. In this story it seems to symbolize Suezo's relationship to justice and the ideal. He views his conscience as a burden that holds him back from getting everything he can get for himself, and the wife represents the kind of judgment he detests.
The dishonorable wealth of Suezo
Suezo is a man who made a moneylending business and earned himself a fortune by extorting his friends and by deceiving his customers. This is not uncommon, and the moneylending profession is largely viewed as a scam. He represents the vice of greed, the willingness to steal from someone to get more for oneself.
The allegory of the powerless father
When Otama's father is allowed to live in luxury, he can't move past his disrespect for Suezo. He doesn't even enjoy his new station in life, and he wants his daughter back. In this way he might represent impotence in his old age, or he might represent the shadow of the way things used to be.
