Chandeliers

Throughout the narrative, chandeliers represent and embody both light (as in illumination) and Light (as in success and wealth). The most vivid example of this can be found in the frequent references, in narration, to the chandelier that illuminates Balram's Bangalore apartment, the place in which he experiences the greatest success in terms of money and status.

The Wanted Poster

Early in the narrative, after Balram has revealed that he killed his former master, Mr. Ashok, he refers to a wanted poster with his face on it that was put up all over India. He first uses the words and images on the poster to describe, in narration, who he is and what he believes; later, in the immediate aftermath of Ashok's death, he convinces someone looking at the poster that he is not, in fact, the man the poster depicts. Thus the poster represents both...