Water (symbol)
Water is the most prominent symbol in The Covenant of Water, and it takes on multiple symbolic meanings. Primarily, water symbolizes interconnectedness; just as all water systems flow into one another and are constantly recycled, all human lives connect in imperceptible ways. One such connection is through the universal experience of death. For the Parambil family, water is synonymous with death, as one family member in each generation dies from drowning. Just as people fear death and evade dangerous situations, the Parambil family avoid traveling by water or swimming, often to their detriment. For example, Big Appachen is disadvantaged by his family's constant fear that he will drown, and cannot travel by boat, ensuring his isolation in Kerala. This choice demonstrates how fear of death can stifle people and limit their lives. Big Ammachi, who has no fear of water and recognizes that life is cyclical, does not fear death and jumps readily into the water, living her life to the fullest.
Water also symbolizes interconnectedness by bridging geographical distances. Digby and Rune cross oceans to Madras and study the water as a source of comfort. When Mariamma and Elsie feel removed from their sense of home and security, they wade into the canal or the ocean, which triggers memories of the past and feelings of renewal.
Hands (motif)
Hands are examined in detail throughout the novel, and are the second most significant symbol, apart from water. Hands symbolize the healing power of human connection. At the beginning of the text, Big Ammachi notices how her relatives, such as Georgie and Ranjan, constantly hold hands, demonstrating their close relationship. This observation heightens her sense of loneliness, as at that point, she does not have a physical relationship with her husband.
The motif of hands is explored further through discussions of injury and illness. As a surgeon, Digby relies on his hands to heal people and save lives. In the same fire that kills the woman he loves, exiles him from his community, and overwhelms him with shame, Digby's hands are severely and permanently injured. He loses his sense of identity and isolates himself in response; it is only when Rune operates on his hands that Digby experiences the healing power of interpersonal relationships. Rune, an "expert in hands," is also an expert in community, bringing together people of diverse backgrounds through his clinical practice, and making space for people with leprosy to find love and belonging at Saint Bridget's. The text describes hand injuries the people at Saint Bridget's sustain, which symbolically represents the emotional wounds they sustain when they are rejected by friends and family. Elsie guides Digby back into his sense of purpose and identity by binding their hands together and helping him draw.
Mariamma develops her sense of empathy by dissecting the hands of people with leprosy. Using her own highly developed motor skills, Mariamma is able to contribute to research that will improve people's lives, even though she will not see the results directly. The image of Mariamma dissecting hands demonstrates the cascading impact of medical research and knowledge creation. At the end of the text, Mariamma reaches out to touch her mother's hand, though glass separates them. This poignant moment demonstrates that though Elsie abandoned Mariamma, her sacrifice connects them, and Mariamma understands and forgives her mother. Though they do not physically touch, the bringing together of their hands cements their bond.
Medical Terminology (motif)
Throughout the text, characters process emotionally significant experiences by identifying and naming the anatomy of the people with whom they are interacting. This creates both an emotional distance between characters, and a symbolic sense of the connection between the physical body and emotions. For example, when Digby is heartbroken by Celeste's rejection, he begins to draw images of her internal organs on her skin, recognizing that she "is not just Celeste, whose words grieve him," but she is also "a miracle of physiology, a magnificent body housing its constellation of organs under the confines of her skin."
Conversely, when Brijee sexually harasses Mariamma, she initially processes her shock and fear by naming the parts of the reproductive system, before "her thoughts slip from the realm of anatomy and regress into painful memories." Understanding her assailant not as a person, but as a collection of anatomical parts, gives Mariamma the composure she needs to take control of the situation and fight back.
The Ordinary Man (allegory)
Philipose regularly publishes allegorical columns called "The Ordinary Man" in the local newspaper. These fable-like stories, which he refers to as "Unfictions," respond to events in Philipose's life and serve as social commentary. Each story is an allegory for a specific idea, and the series itself is an avenue for Philipose to express his authentic fears and feelings, which he struggles to articulate in his relationships. For example, Philipose's first story, The Plavu Man, is an allegory for the government's response to widespread famine during World War II and the famine's clear roots in colonialism. In the story, a starving man becomes part of a plavu tree, realizing that nature and food are abundant, but exploitative colonial practices create artificial scarcity.
Parambil (symbol)
Parambil is a sprawling estate with wild beauty and abundant resources, isolated from society and far away from the river. At different stages of the novel, Parambil takes on varied symbolic meanings. For Big Appachen, Parambil represents self-imprisonment, rejection, and the false belief in control over one's fate. After being cheated out of his inheritance and disadvantaged by his fearful family members, Big Appachen purchased Parambil and began to develop it with Shamuel's help. He rarely leaves the estate, and only feels safe in its bounds, far away from water. Not only does Big Appachen physically isolate himself out of fear of the Condition, but he is emotionally distant from his relatives and loved ones, as he feels ashamed of his limited hearing and inability to read.
Big Ammachi, however, regards Parambil as a safe haven with infinite potential, and only chooses to leave when she wishes to attend church events, like the Maramon Convention, or for necessary ventures, like taking Baby Mol to the clinic in Cochin. Parambil nurtures Big Ammachi, the waterways provide connection to the outside world, Damo the elephant visits her at pivotal moments, and the sensory landscape soothes her emotional pain. Still, Big Ammachi sees the estate as a living, dynamic thing and embraces changes to her family and community.
Struggling with his identity, Philipose sees Parambil as both a place to hide and a place to find his sense of self. After dropping out of college, he returns to Parambil determined to only access the outside world through his radio and books. He senses the presence of his ancestors in the earth and animals, and feels safe and supported. However, unlike Big Ammachi, Parambil represents Philipose's cowardice and indecision. At crucial moments, he refuses to leave the comfort of his family home, even to save his marriage.
The Stone Woman (symbol)
During her pregnancy with Mariamma, Elsie begins to carve a sculpture of a woman sitting in a crouched, hunched position, her face obscured by the stone. Philipose obsesses over this sculpture, believing it represents Elsie's constant feeling of being trapped in her marriage and in her grief over Ninan. In his attempt to "free" the woman from her stone prison, he destroys the sculpture and injures himself in the process, which symbolizes how throughout their marriage, Philipose's attempts to help and support Elsie hindered her art and hurt them both in the process.
The sculpture's true symbolic meaning, however, is revealed at the end of the text. As Elsie's leprosy develops, she realizes that in order to save Mariamma from contracting the disease and maintain her freedom to create art, she must remain "faceless" by faking her own death. She publishes her work but remains anonymous, like the Stone Woman's identity. The sculpture's contorted position, encased in stone, represents how Elsie feels trapped in her deteriorating body and her isolation.
Portraiture (Motif)
Portraiture is a motif used throughout the text to mark pivotal moments of self-reflection, the beginning of enduring connections, and the creation of memories. Digby and Celeste first connect while viewing a kalighat portrait in Celeste's collection, which Digby believes captures the subject's true spirit. Later, when Celeste and Digby visit Mahabalipuram, Digby draws a portrait of Celeste while she sleeps, signifying their deep connection. As he falls deeper in love with Celeste, he creates variations of her portrait, attempting to understand her character. Later, Elsie helps Digby draw a portrait of his mother, which replaces Digby's traumatic memory of her death with positive memories of her life. This collaborative portrait represents the creation and reclamation of memories, retroactively healing Digby's relationship with his mother. The portrait also binds Digby and Elsie together, as they both remember the moment when they reconnect later in life.
Similar to Digby and Celeste, Elsie draws a portrait of Philipose as he sleeps, sparking his obsession with her. Philipose believes the portrait captures his soul and conveys his personal limitations, and like Digby and Celeste, Philipose and Elsie's relationship is ill-fated, as the two never truly understand one another. As Elsie settles into Parambil, she paints portraits of various family members, prompting their self-reflection and change. For example, after seeing herself through Elsie's eyes, Lizzi is empowered to take control of her marriage, and Decency Kochamma begins to reconsider her narrow-minded interpretation of morality.
