Symbolism in Brother Man

The novel brother man can me seen as symbolic in a number of way. If one carefully analyze the novel it is clear that the book is practically made up of symbolism. The character John Powers(brother man) may be one of the most symbolic features in the novel. His story tells how unfair and ungrateful the world is. Looking at it from a biblical point of view, his story is like the story of Jesus. He did and still do so much for mankind and everyday they reject his word and ignores his teachings. From a family point of view his story is a symbol of some children ingratitude towards their parents. some parents do everything in there power using all means possible to ensure that their children have a better life than they had, to ensure that the are able to succeed inn any and everything they put their minds to. some of these children after their parent do everything they could to get them to the place where they desire to be they don't even turn back and say thank you. this is exactly what brother man's story portray.
Symbolism is also portrayed in the story of Papacita and Girlie. Their story can be seen as a symbol of trouble in an possessive common law union. Like most the common law union we have today a partner tends to be unfaithful at one point or the other. This story show how danger it is to live with a possessive lover and secondly how some irresponsible men behave when they know they have a good woman waiting 4 them at home. Like Papacita most men in a common law union are reluctant to get married because they don't want to feel tied down having to live with one woman for the rest of their lives. their mentality is "why pay for the cow when you can get the milk for free." Girlie symbolizes what most women this kind of relationship are like. They do all the work, they take care of the home and still the man,waiting patiently for the man to take them his wife. When the man decides to "sale in new waters" and leave them behind they retaliate and as Girlie portray, they always send a deadly blow because they refuse to let all the year spent together be taken for granted.