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Chapter Twelve
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Rent Collector, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Power of Literature
Appearances, Judgment, and Hidden Character
Heroism and Self-Sacrifice
Hope and Action
Humor and Resilience
Summary
Analysis
During their lessons, Sang Ly reads some Cambodian literature, but mostly translated stories from around the world, since Sopeap was not only a professor but also formerly studied in America. Today Sopeap announces that they will start an abridged version of Moby-Dick, in which Captain Ahab represents evil and the whale represents good, though neither are pure. Sang Ly feels overwhelmed by everything having double meanings, but Sopeap insists that “in literature, everything means something.”
Especially for Sang Ly, who has lived her entire life in Cambodia, the fact that Sopeap studied abroad further reinforces that she is far from the simple drunk old woman Sang Ly had once believed her to be, again suggesting that first impressions are rarely accurate, since they don’t account for the whole of a person’s life. “Everything means something” is once again a lesson both for Sang Ly and the reader.
Themes
Ahab’s desire for revenge reminds Sang Ly of Ki’s desire for revenge, which worries her, since Ahab dies with his crew at the end of the story. However, when Sang Ly asks Sopeap how one should confront evil, Sopeap answers, “Fight ignorance with words. Fight evil with your knife. Tell you husband Ki that he is right.” Sang Ly recognizes real fear in Sopeap’s eyes when she speaks of evil.
Captain Ahab forms an explicit parallel to Ki in his understandable desire for revenge, since the gangs beat Ki and the whale bit off Ahab’s leg. This vengeance has the potential to spiral into a destructive force and bring ruin to everyone around them. Sopeap’s obvious fear suggests that she has firsthand experience with such evil.
Themes
