The Embassy of Cambodia

Throughout the short story, multiple characters discuss the Cambodian Genocide (1975-79), primarily due to the presence of the Embassy of Cambodia in the neighborhood. During the genocide, the Khmer Rouge executed “between 1.5 and 3 million people” (“Cambodia.” College of Liberal Arts, Holocaust and Genocide Studies, University of Minnesota).

The Khmer Rouge’s main goal was to “create a classless agrarian society,” and “ […] intellectual[s] [were] targeted for special treatment.” (“Cambodia.”). These intellectuals posed a threat to the creation of a classless agrarian society, as their jobs automatically created a social hierarchy. This history is relevant to the text not only because of the Embassy of Cambodia but also because of Andrew Okonkwo’s character. Andrew is a student and an intellectual with internet access, which Fatou does not have. He therefore parallels the Khmer Rouge’s mission, as he represents the danger information poses to forces that seek to oppress and control people, like the drivers of domestic slavery. Andrew provides Fatou with information, just as the intellectuals of Cambodia provided resources to those opposing the Khmer Rouge. In the case of Cambodian intellectuals, they were quickly spotted as threats to the mission of creating a classless, uneducated, and ultimately more malleable, society. Andrew serves a similar function, as the information he provides plays a key role in Fatou’s realization of her domestic enslavement.

The Embassy of Cambodia itself is an example of extended metaphor, or a metaphor that extends throughout a literary work to provide a deep comparison between two similar things. The connection between domestic enslavement and the Embassy of Cambodia creates a parallel about the unknown struggles that occur within seemingly normal dwellings. The embassy exists in a quiet London suburb, and all that Fatou hears from its walls are the sounds of a badminton game. On the outside, it appears as any other house in the affluent area but, like the Derawal home, it holds a private struggle, further represented by the back and forth of badminton. In the Derawal home, the struggle is between the Derawals, who engage in domestic enslavement, and Fatou, who is quickly realizing the severity of her situation. In connecting the Embassy of Cambodia and the Derawal home, Smith points to the secrets that are protected by masks of normalcy and domesticity.

The repeated mention of the Cambodia Genocide and the extended metaphor of the Embassy of Cambodia highlight the themes of The Consequences of Dehumanization and Stereotypes and The Pain and Suffering of Daily Life.