Metaphor: Cave
When Marco goes to visit the cave to probe for new archaeological discoveries, his wife Rosie falls in love with their tour guide Raju. The two lovers find ways to keep themselves away while Marco is busy in the cave. The cave here stands for ignorance and Marco remains in the darkness until it is too late. To an extent, Marco chooses to be in the cave in the same way he never quite understands his wife’s mind. He is always in the darkness of his own choosing.
Simile: Parrot
Once Rosie gains fame through her dancing, she grows conscious of what really matters to her and what her life is like now. She states, “I feel like one of those parrots in a cage taken around village fairs" (160). With this simile, Rosie reveals that she believes she is not free—she was a parrot in cage built by Raju. Dancing stopped liberating her to some extent and she doesn’t like that. Rosie flies away in the end, leaving behind her “caged parrot” life.
Metaphor: Raju as Bird
As Raju embraces his role as Swami, Narayan writes, "Raju felt he was growing wings. Shortly, he felt, he might float in the air and perch himself on the tower of an ancient temple" (14). This is in reference to the wise words he delivers to Velan, showing that he is beginning to feel the power of being listened to and revered. This is the same feeling he gets when tourists seek him out and praise him, and when he becomes famous for controlling Rosie's career. In this case, it is based on a false persona he has established for himself and comes across as ironic and amusing to the reader.
Simile: Raju as Actor
As time goes on and Raju remains the Swami to the villagers, he has to come to terms with the fact that he is actually an imposter. Narayan writes, "Raju felt like an actor who had come on the stage, and, while the audience waited, had no lines to utter or gestures to make" (37). He actually is an actor, and he doesn't have any real lines. He will have to improvise to curry favor with his audience, and as this is one of his particular skills, he does manage to continue his performance.
Metaphor: Fog
Raju alternates between delighting in his pithy, wise-sounding statements and his conviction that perhaps he is not actually doing the visitors a service: "He was dragging those innocent men deeper and deeper into the fog of unclear thoughts" (38). Just as he noticed Rosie wasn't happy but did nothing about it though, he continues to brush away these thoughts and remain the role of swami. It is too easy to stay in the ruins and be fed and cared for and revered.
