Summary Of Raami's In The Shadow Of The Banyan

In "In the Shadow of the Banyan", Raami, a seven year old, a young princess of the house of Sisowath in 1970s Cambodia, that the Cambodia is in midst of a civil war. The new communist regime in Cambodia which is called “Organization” tries to dehumanize Raami and her people. In particular, the “Organization” taking away individuality and diminishing traditional culture such as Raami and her family. Her family and other families are itinerating multiple times in Cambodia. As the story progresses, Raami still barely to her humanity despite the "Organization" striping her and her family of everything they have that has come to identify them from their home, possessions, friends, family, education, and even their royal name. In addition, as people

Raami’s father states that, “I write because words give me wings…wings! So I can fly! …Be as free as that hawk!, which illustrate wings as freedom and stories would made Raami understand the hardships, difficulties, and beauties of life(120). Including wings are describe for the characters in the novel as the desire to be free. Raami’s father expressed “I told you stories to give you wings, Raami, so that you would never be trapped by anything—your name, your title, the limits of your body, this world’s suffering”(134). This quote shows Raami was told countless stories which dealt with mythical creatures, animals, people their issues and how they were overcome, so that she may understand how she could apply the wisdom of those creatures and animals to reality. Eventually, Raami learned through the atrocities that has happened in Cambodia and she realized the survival is this that cannot do not lose of sense of self. She stated that, “If I was to survive my uprooting and transplantation, I must grow and stretch myself as a young rice shoot would. I must rise above the mire and muck, the savagery of my environment, while appearing to thrive in