The archetypal return to devastated homelands
The reader might recognize the plot's similarity to that of other artworks. For instance, in The Lion King, Simba returns to Pride lands to discover that his father's death left his mother and family in a horrific situation. That's what Cornelius thinks he is going to find, and he believes that his father's death was probably part of the genocide. When he arrives, he learns that actually, his father betrayed the family and participated as a leader in murdering the Tutsi tribe in Murambi.
The anti-father
This novel features an evil father who does the opposite of what a father should do. Instead of using his masculinity to build buttresses around his family, he lets his anger and tendency to blame others consume him until he is violent and hateful. He murders a lot of people, even leading to the deaths of his own family, his wife and children who were Tutsi. The hatred is symbolic, because it is a wake-up call to Cornelius. If his father was capable of such evil, couldn't Cornelius fall prey to hatred?
The dead mother
The dead mother represents the whole tragedy of the Rwandan Genocide. Just like Cornelius struggles to accept the truth, the whole world stood by and watched, unable to accept the gravity of the situation until it was all over, too late to save the 800,000 victims who were murdered. The mother represents ultimate loss to Cornelius, and she represents the Tutsi tribe that she belonged to.
Diop's character
As a symbol, Diop's character allows the reader to experience the research they may or may not have done on their own. By contextualizing that learning in the real waking life of a character, the reader can begin to appreciate the true horror of genocide. Also, it is a reminder that, although the novel is fictitious, the events depicted are not. Just like Diop is a real person, so also the character's studying provides real facts about the Genocide.
The motif of investigation
Although the novel is about something clearly horrific and obvious, this motif helps the reader to understand the importance for further investigation. Just like it hurts Cornelius to learn the truth, the reader might also sustain emotional difficulties if they try to appreciate the true tragedy of these things. The Genocide really happened, and there is much to be learned by studying it, and more importantly, remembering the Rwandan Genocide helps to encourage action in the future, when new genocides begin. Real-time investigation would have helped to prevent these deaths.
