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Mrs. Yu
Tendrils
The white tendrils infecting New York City represent outside forces that can manipulate a community to stoke prejudices within it and to homogenize it. When characters, Manny first sees the tendrils, he recognizes that they…
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Better New York Foundation
The Better New York Foundation symbolizes how outside money can gentrify communities without those communities’ consent. In the novel, great cities can come alive and choose a human protector, an “avatar,” from among its human…
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Police
The police symbolize how some abusers pose as defenders of their victims—sometimes even convincing the victims themselves to act against their best interests. In the novel’s universe, great cities can become alive and sentient, at…
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