| This is a possible interpretation of the story, as I'm sure there are many historical and cultural nuances that escape me. ----------------------------- Chapter 0: Prologue / The Beginning that Doesn't Begin The Traveler feels stuck in his life; he has entered the expected routine of adult life, and lives mostly through inertia. Chapter 1: Boxer Maru The Traveler "snaps" and decides to make a sudden, drastic change to his life — maybe quitting his job and staying unemployed for awhile as he pursues hobbies and passions. As he is "adrift" (perhaps the change didn't lead him to where he wanted?), he sees two figures watching him: I think that these figures represent his parents, as he feels the guilt of not having turned out the way they'd wanted. Despite this, he stubbornly continues through his chosen path (pedaling the boat, despite it not getting him anywhere). There is also a motif of two figures observing the Traveler, as we'll see later on. Chapter 2: The Rise And Fall Of The Pirate Ship The Traveler has chosen a new path in life and surrounded himself with like-minded people, though his new life seems to be more about taking advantage of others and living in a not-so-moral way (the piracy subplot). Eventually, this ends once he is no longer able to maintain control (the ship sinking). Chapter 3: The Village Of The Man-Eating Insects + Chapter 4: Why We Stopped Eating Human Flesh I believe that this is an allegory for the man returning to his family. He dislikes their customs, yet has no choice but to go along with them for support (food and shelter), even if that causes tensions between him and his family when he pushes back (the village elder singing the song). The village itself is an allegory for parents expecting their children to follow a set way in life. Chapter 5: Paradise Lost The Traveler's parents (represented by the village elder and his wife) eventually find him a woman that they want him to marry (the two being imprisoned together, to be forced into interacting, is reminiscent of omiai). He is initially resistant to the idea, but the two end up falling in love and leave on their own (the parents i.e. village elder and his wife, observe from afar, letting them leave). After the honeymoon period wears off, tensions rise as she feels exhausted by having to do everything (perhaps he is still unemployed? we see that he doesn't contribute to their "household"), and he feels that she is dragging him down (it's also possible that he resents her and feels emasculated, since she is the one leading the way). Eventually, the two have a huge argument (the skeleton they find along the way, in the jungle, could be suspicions of her cheating on him). They remain together but are deeply unhappy — the act of him breaking down her body and using it means that he is continuing to "feed" on her, despite having destroyed her livelihood and considering her a burden. The desert — which appears immediately as he "takes charge" — symbolizes the lost love, as their life together feels barren and unhappy. Chapter 6: The Blind Arab + Chapter 7: The Camel Hotel The Traveler and his partner are struggling, and have no choice but to work for people that mock them, in order to earn a living. It could be that they are in this situation because they incurred debt, and have to humiliate themselves to pay it off. Once again, we have the motif of the two figures, represented by the two Jewish merchants. Chapter 8: The Gatekeepers Having struggled too far and with no other alternative in sight, the Traveler and his partner make the decision to return home. His parents (two figures, the Gatekeepers, whose lives revolve around him) scold him initially, but allow him into the family once again. Soon after, they pass away (disappearing into the ocean beyond the gates). Chapter 9: Undesirable Return, Unwelcome Survival The Traveler feels out of place again. He tries to find work, but can't. Ultimately, his partner leaves and he is rejected by the community (family, friends, neighbors) once it gets out how he treated her. Even as she leaves, he does not regain empathy for her, wanting her back only because she was a convenient person who tended to his needs. Chapter 10: The End of the World He sinks into depression and isolates himself, feeling like he is simply an observer to the world. As he "flies" in the story, it's possible that he is reminiscing on his life, having made the decision to commit suicide. Chapter 11: Epilogue / The End that Doesn't End The Traveler wakes up the next morning and, tranquil in his resolve, goes through with his plans of committing suicide. ----------------------------- Interesting bits to note:
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Pande91Oct 22, 2023 4:25 AM
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