The Rent Collector: Chapter Sixteen Summary & Analysis

Seasonal rain forms intermittent ponds amidst the dump’s rubbish, in which reeds take root and large snails grow. Since money is still tight, rather than spend what little they have on pork from the market, Sang Ly decides to go gather snails to eat. Teva Mao’s daughters tag along. As Sang Ly is wading through the knee-high water, she notices a leech attached to her ankle, which sends her into a panic—she has a phobia of leeches. She high-steps out of the water and begs the girls to pull it off, but they are unable to, and Sang Ly scrapes it off with her sandal. She tells Ki about the episode when she gets home, but cannot find the bite mark from the leech or even remember which leg it was on. Ki finds this hilarious, though Sang Ly is less enthused.

The next time Sopeap is giving Sang Ly a lesson, on heroism, Sang Ly remarks that her neighbor thought that Stung Meanchey is the last place one would find a hero. Sopeap answers that she simply seeks the wrong kind of hero; a true hero is not one who is powerful or wealthy, but one who sacrifices for the good of others. Sang Ly asks if that makes Sopeap a hero, then, since she gives her time to teach Sang Ly. But this makes Sopeap angry, and she states bitterly, “I’m nobody’s hero.”

Sopeap continues to state that there are other important roles within a story: there is the shape-shifter, who may seem like a friend but ultimately betrays the hero, and then there is the trickster, who uses humor to “provide relief” as well as to point out absurd or unjust situations. Sang Ly observes that Lucky Fat did this when he joked that the scrap buyer never pays women or children as much as men, prompting the annoyed man to give Sang Ly a fair price that day. There is also the shadow, a character who is sometimes evil, but sometimes simply disagrees with the hero and sees itself as the hero instead.

Most importantly, teaches Sopeap, these roles are not always strictly set; some characters may play certain roles only for a time or switch between roles, which makes both life and literature far more exciting. Regardless, for each character, “the fiercest battles take place within,” and sometimes a hero will emerge from “the most unexpected places.”

Teva Mao buys some bitter melon leaves from the market, since they are supposed to be good for easing digestion and reducing fever, and hopes they may help Nisay. Sang Ly is willing to try anything, so she boils them into a bitter tea and asks Ki to feed it to Nisay. The mixture is so unpleasant, however, that after one spoonful, Nisay refuses to drink anymore. Cleverly, Ki leaves and returns with juice from the sweet custard apple, which Nisay drinks eagerly, and alternates the sweet juice and the bitter juice until Nisay has drank all of the bitter melon solution. However, the next morning the child still has diarrhea. Sang Ly wonders what good literature will be for Nisay, and cries for the whole morning until Sopeap arrives.