The Roach System: Kill Papa Roach

The author captures the perspective of a young single female trying to survive in a dystopian future or perhaps a society where the disenfranchised are left to their own devices. The cockroaches (aka consumers) represent a neglected demographic who are treated as playthings and a nuisance by the Big Ones who represent high society or a government that finds them to be a detriment. Ta, the protagonist, is desensitized to the daily horrors she encounters such as having to eat the corpses of her peers and avoiding being crushed by a rolled up newspaper. Such is the life of a roach that these travails barely affect Ta. Ta seeks to free her Mama from Paparoach who symbolizes the patriarchy. Ta desires the love and attention of her mother above all else and perceives Papa Roach to be the root of all evil. From her point of view Papa Roach contaminates Ta’s precious Mama and she must liberate her. Males in general are not viewed favorably by the author as she presents the blowhard and foolish hissing cockroach, Vava, who represents men’s vanity. Her interaction with the wasp represents men’s sexual desires as the wasp feels it’s an honor for Ta to be a vessel for its babies. The wasp’s stinger is emblematic of a man’s sexual organ and as Ta rips it out she displays how she has overcome the strife and tyranny of men. Overall the author captures the perilous life of a young single female in a patriarchal civilization where there is no law and no warmth and no refuge even for a cockroach.