Beggar
The bling Beggar arrives in the village and is welcome by Alu and Makuri into their home. He is in search of land to work, and won't accept alms from anyone. This is a metaphor for the fact that the Beggar will not allow the station he is born into to determine who he can become or what he can accomplish, that he has a right to participate in the creation of his life, and not depend solely on the charity of others.
Darkness
Igwezu leaves in the middle of the night, the darkness of the swamp, knowing that he will not be able to see anything on his route out of the village. This is a metaphor for how his life has now become a navigation through great darkness, as he has lost everyone and everything that had meaning to him.
Flooded Swamp
We hear that the swamp has been flooded by heavy rains, and because of this no one can grow crops as the waters have risen to wipe out the soil. This is a metaphor for the priest having stolen the sacrifices of the villagers to eat for himself, that the Serpent of the Swamp is taking from the land what it is not getting from the people. It is a metaphor for the priests corruption and betrayal of his people.
City
The city that Igwezu and his brother have left for is meant to be a place where there is opportunity to make wealth for themselves. It is a metaphor for capitalism, greed and coveting as Igwezu's brother has accumulated great wealth, and passed along none to his family; and he's even taken his brother's wife for his own and demanded his family's land as collateral for debt that he will not pay off for his brother. The city represents the humanity being stolen from a person.
False Prophet
Kadiye is said to be a "fat man" by the blind beggar. This is a metaphor for the fact that the priest is somehow well fed in a village that has very little food. It represents his stealing their sacrifices for his food.
