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Symbols
Ki’s knife represents the villagers’ temptation for power and revenge. After a Stung Meanchey gang beats and robs Ki, he uses the little money he has to buy a knife, which he keeps strapped to his leg. Although Ki feels that the knife gives him the power to fight and defend himself, Sang Ly is wary of it, recognizing that Ki’s desire for power is also tainted by a desire for vengeance—to hurt the people who hurt him. In spite of Sang Ly’s wariness of the knife, after the gang members beat up Lucky Fat, a local orphan, Sang Ly also briefly thinks of using Ki’s knife, suggesting that even she is tempted by the idea of power to fight evil. Sopeap also believes that evil should be fought with the knife, suggesting that Ki should fight power with power, but when the villagers chase down one of the gang members, a teenage boy, and viciously beat him to death, Ki discovers that he does not have the stomach to actually use his knife or thus to exert his own power against a child. Although the villagers use their power to fight evil, Ki realizes that the use of such power against a teenage boy seems horrific rather than heroic, and his knife remains in hand, unused. From this moment on, now that Ki is disillusioned with the power to defend, protect, or avenge, the knife is never seen again.
The Knife Quotes in The Rent Collector
The The Rent Collector quotes below all refer to the symbol of The Knife. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter Eleven
Quotes
“There’s a time and place for defending yourself,” he says calmly, “whether it be with words—or with a knife. Keep reading; your stories will teach you that.”
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Chapter Eighteen
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It was just days ago I wanted to kill the criminals myself. But my desire was for revenge on crooks, thugs—dark images of evil that gathered in my head when I pictured the men who beat my husband and Lucky Fat—not boys, especially this boy.
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The Knife Symbol Timeline in The Rent Collector
The timeline below shows where the symbol The Knife appears in The Rent Collector. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter Two
...him for free, so Ki used the money he’d brought with him to buy a knife for protection against the gangs, which he’s strapped to his ankle. The next morning, the...
(full context)
Chapter Eleven
...he insists that there is a “time and place for defending yourself […] with a knife.” Despite their disagreement, they are still amiable.
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Chapter Thirteen
...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...
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Chapter Seventeen
...his Buddha figurines, but he’s alive. Sang Ly is furious and thinks of using Ki’s knife herself, though she’s usually a “pacifist.” However, Ki tells her that since most of the...
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Chapter Eighteen
Ki places his hand on Sang Ly’s back; his other hand holds the knife uncertainly. He explains to her that while they were working, two men spotted the boy...
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