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Summary
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in In the Shadow of the Banyan, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Power and Limitations of Storytelling
Political Revolution, Corruption, and Control
The Mystical Nature of Human Connection
Identity, Classism, and Dehumanization
Trauma, Guilt, and Shame
Memory and Survival
Summary
Analysis
Raami marks the moment war disrupts her childhood with the sound of Papa’s footsteps returning to his bedroom. Each morning, he takes a walk in the city of Phnom Penh to gather material for his poetry. This morning, Papa tells Mama how the streets are filled with people suffering. Mama reassures him, knowing that he will take care of their family. It is April of 1975, and the Khmer New Year is days away in Cambodia, where Raami lives. Although Papa did not want to celebrate because of the ongoing civil unrest, Mama insisted. The family’s cook, Om Bao, is making preparations. Raami runs around the house’s balconies, free from the metal brace she wears to correct the limp in her leg.
The novel’s beginning indicates that Raami’s perspective is retrospective, viewing past events in the light of new knowledge. Papa’s troubled demeanor, meanwhile, ominously foreshadows the coming turmoil. His poetry and his concern for the underprivileged citizens characterize him as solemn. Mama, on the other hand, is brightly optimistic, insistent on planning New Year celebrations despite the civil war. Raami’s intentional abandonment of her brace indicates her childlike desire to be unbound and free.
Active
Themes
Raami locates her brace where she had hidden it and puts it on. Her nanny, Milk Mother, calls out, demanding she come inside. Raami pretends not to hear, dashing about the house in search of Mama, whose presence is so ethereal, Raami imagines she is a spirit. Papa is composing poems in his room, unaware of the world around him. Old Boy, the elderly gardener, tends the courtyard flowers and flirts with Om Bao. Mama appears and requests that Old Boy bring her some lotuses, her favorite flower. Raami tells Mama she wants to walk like her one day, but Mama replies that she is simply happy Raami can walk at all.
That Raami’s family can afford Milk Mother’s services indicates they are members of the upper class. Raami’s perception of Mama as an otherworldly figure exemplifies the reverence children often feel for their parents. Papa’s lack of awareness of his surroundings hints that stories and poetry can insulate a person from reality. Mama’s response to Raami’s desire to walk with beauty and grace suggests she is aware of her daughter’s worshipful attitude and seeks to instill self-confidence in place of that yearning for perfection.
Active
Themes
Raami thinks of how Mama is like Papa’s poetry, mysterious and fleeting. Om Bao directs the other servants in the courtyard below, where a large banyan tree grows. Raami spins on the balcony, summoning angels. Irritated, Milk Mother appears with Raami’s toddler sister, Radana, who is bedecked in jewelry. Raami wishes Radana had a limp like her, though she feels guilty for it. Explosions sound in the distance, and Milk Mother tells Raami not to hope for the angels to come this New Year. She orders Raami to bathe, as Grandmother Queen will join them for breakfast. Raami herself is seven years old and a princess. She practices walking like Mama beneath the banyan.
Active
Themes
The family gathers for breakfast in the open-air dining pavilion. With her clunky brace, Raami feels unrefined next to Mama. Grandmother Queen arrives on Papa’s arm, and the rest of the family pays their respects before eating. Mama remarks that she will make an offering at the temple for the new year. Old Boy tends the spirit house beneath the banyan tree, which Milk Mother says protects them from the war outside. Tata—Papa’s sister—remarks that the shelling kept her awake last night. Mama seems frustrated, trying to keep the mood light and celebratory. But as a commoner who married into royalty, Mama does not dare reprimand Tata.
Active
Themes
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Seeing the headline of Papa’s newspaper, Raami asks if he is a “Red Khmer,” and the table falls silent. Mama glares at Raami, who withers under her godlike wrath. Later, when they think everyone is napping, Papa tells Mama that Raami’s question was innocent, as she does not know the Red Khmers are Communist dissenters. Papa once shared their ideals of justice and integrity, believing his own privilege and wealth would not last. Now, he believes democracy is defeated, and offers to send the family to safety in France. Mama will not leave Cambodia without him. Raami listens to helicopters and explosions getting nearer.
