Follow the Leader: Thoughts on the 3rd Chapter of Waiting for the Barbarians

The third chapter details the magistrate and the barbarian girl's march from the edge of the Empire into the barbarian’s territory, his returning of the girl, and the surprising news that, upon his return to the Empire, the army has arrived to fight the barbarians. There is one passage in particular which I would like to focus on, because it seems like a good metaphor for this chapter and for the book so far. The passage I am referring to takes place when the magistrate first spots the barbarians that he eventually returns the girl to. Try as they might, the party is initially unable to catch up with the barbarians, who keep a constant distance. Confused, the magistrate asks, “are they reflections of us?” Then, when he gives up chasing them, he adds, “we understand now that while they are following us they are also leading us.” I think the way the barbarians mimic the “civilized” people, or, depending on how you look at it, the “civilized” people mimic the barbarians, is a metaphor for the cycle that both the barbarians and the Empire are caught up in. Throughout the novel, the concept of civilization has been ambiguous. Are the barbarians civilized or is the Empire? Are neither? Ironically, in attempting to civilize the barbarians the Empire has become uncivilized. Therefore, civility seems to flow through both groups, and while the barbarians seem to “follow” the Empire (they are becoming more civil by adopting the Empire’s culture) they actually “lead” it (they are preserving civility by not sinking to the Empire’s level and committing atrocities).