Allegory of the Continuation of the Family Line
As Paul was crying over the loss of his father who was his only remaining parent, the narrator remarks, ‘Old ink gets bloody in his young hands.’ The old ink that becomes runny again is an allegory of the continuation of the family line. Paul became a well read individual and an activist as his father was.
Paul’s Attire at the Funeral
At the funeral of his father, Paul wore a black suit, a black waistband, and a black band on his left arm. The color black was a symbol of mourning the loss of his father. The black waistband that Paul wore on his arm is a cultural symbol that he is the eldest son of his deceased father.
Smoke
In the funeral, a fire was lit whereby symbolic items were burned. These items include paper clothing, paper replicas of cars, houses and servants. The paper items and the smoke was rising from the fire are symbolic of sending the deceased to the next life.
Blessing
In the book I Hotel, bowing three times to a person is a symbol of blessing them. During the burial of Paul’s father, the mourners bowed three times to the coffin as a sign of blessing him and receiving blessings from him as well. Paul also bowed three times to his father’s dead body as a sign of blessings and apology for failing to put his favorite book in the coffin.
Symbolism of the blankets
At the funeral of Paul’s father, the custom of placing blankets on him to warm his way to the next world was done. The red blanket symbolized life, the white blanket symbolized heaven and the gold blanket symbolized spirituality. The different colors of the blankets symbolized different things that would aid the deceased on his way to heaven.
