In The Shadow Of The Banyan

Early on in the novel, Grandmother Queen shares the prophecy, “There will only remain so many of us as rest in the shadow of the banyan tree” (19). Given Grandmother Queen’s increasing dementia, she never shares precisely what she means by this, yet it is clear she refers to the aftermath of the Khmer Rouge’s advance toward Phnom Penh. At its own basic level, the banyan tree refers to a form of protection. Compared to other trees, the shaded area under a banyan is quite large. Yet there is an irony to using the banyan as a metaphor because, despite its relative size, it still offers shade to only a tiny number of individuals when compared to Cambodia’s entire population. In Hindu and Buddhist lore, the banyan also refers to immortality. Thus, Grandmother Queen’s prophecy may suggest that the destruction to come will be so complete that no mortal will survive it.