The Human Body

The human body symbolizes the collective. The author uses the human body as an allegorical representation of political or societal groups. When the members of the body, or the body's organs and limbs, battle one another, the body cannot operate effectively. When the body parts are in communion with each other, however, the collective is able to grow and thrive.

The Competition

The competition between the limbs symbolizes war. Once the organs and limbs become jealous of one another, resentful of the ways they must share one another's capabilities, a battle ensues in the form of a contest. The author uses this competition for physical superiority to represent the ways in which discord between members of a community can either result in dangerous division, or in productive change.

Head

Head symbolizes dictatorship. After the body parts revise their relationship one with another, devising a...