Stone (Symbol)
The bearded man's stone for his statue is a symbol for patience. The man tells Jagan that when he picks a stone, he treats it with water to prepare it for sculpting. He adds that if it breaks during this long process, he starts all over with a different stone. Jagan is astounded by the man's quiet determination and admires him for it. The stone functions as a symbol for the bearded man's patience as it shows how unfazed he is by large expenditures of time and effort. He views his art as sacred and is perfectly happy to devote as much care as needed for it.
The Story-Telling Machine (Symbol)
The story-telling machine is a symbol of Mali's laziness and fixation on money. Mali describes the machine in completely vague terms, suggesting that he basically has no idea how to make it or how it would actually work. He claims it will function with four different inputs, but when pressed for a physical explanation of how it will be manufactured, he has no details to offer. However, when it comes to the profit he anticipates and the investment he expects from Jagan, he talks at length. What this suggests is that the machine is merely a means for Mali to attain what he wants and not something that will ever actually materialize, as he lacks the knowledge or patience to make such a thing. The machine functions as a symbol of Mali's desire to get rich without working, as he can only talk about the money he will make and has no real idea of how to manufacture it.
Propriety (Motif)
Propriety is a recurring motif throughout the novel. Jagan repeatedly expresses concern about how Mali's actions will be perceived in the community. This first comes about when he learns that Mali is eating beef and is further exacerbated when Mail arrives home with an American girl he claims to be his wife. However, Jagan's anxiety reaches its peak when he discovers that Mali and Grace are not actually married, but have merely been pretending to be. He assumes that if this gets out, people will be scandalized, as it means Mali and Grace have been living together out of wedlock. The motif propriety appears in the novel to show how much emphasis Jagan, much like many of its the other residents do, puts on keeping up appearances in the town, as he is aware that people talk.
Alcohol (Symbol)
Alcohol is a symbol for Mali's decline. When he is arrested, the cousin informs Jagan, he is reported to have been with some of his local friends. His being caught with alcohol shows him at a low moment, as it reveals that not only has been neglecting Grace, Jagan, and his supposed business, but that most of what he has been doing is drinking with his friends. In this way, it symbolizes Mali's decline, as it shows how incapable he became of doing anything but going out on the town with his unreliable friends.
Jagan's Shop (Symbol)
Jagan's shop is a symbol of his evolving relationship with money and material wealth. Initially, he is proud of business and focused on how to make the most money and keep it secure and orderly. Later though, he decides to lower his prices to make his sweetmeats more affordable. He also, at one point, gives away some of his goods to some local boys. Eventually, he gives up the business entirely, handing it over to his cousin. The shop is a symbol for Jagan's relationship with money in that he grows increasingly less attached to it and eventually gives it up all together.
