A Symbol of Past and Present

In completing my reading of the novel Power, I came to the realization that Omishto had grown out of her once dire need for her boat. Throughout the novel, Omishto's boat had served as her safe place from which she could observe the world. It was the one place that she could go and escape from all the pressures of home and life. It was also the one thing that seemed to anchor her to the memory of her real father, for he had given it to her.

In time, however, Omishto begins to let go of the tight grasp that she figuratively holds on the boat. This boat that had once been such a significant aspect in her life, almost functioning as a part of her, had suddenly lost its purpose and place in her life. On the one hand, it was evident to me just how much Omishto had matured in the course of the novel and how it made sense that her need for such a thing would fade. But on the other hand, I was surprised at her willingness to let go. At this point, I was reminded of the storm, and how Omishto was so quick to risk her life to save her boat. For something that had been so important to her such a short time ago, she seemed awful quick to let it go.

Although many times we grow out of the things that once held such meaning in our lives, I believe they should continue to serve as symbols of the past. I feel that although Omishto no longer needs the boat to serve as her safe place, it should now serve as a constant reminder of how she came to be where she is now. The events of her life unfolded from the day of the storm, and therefore, the boat will always serve as a symbol of what carried her to where she now finds herself.