If you say that a person or thing is the epitome of something, you are emphasizing that they are the best possible example of a particular type of person or thing. [formal, emphasis].
To understand Maru's character, I think, we must understand the novel's symbolism. The pivotal moment in the novel's symbolic movement, the unification of self and heart in Moleka, comes directly after Moleka and Margaret meet for the first time, at the old library where Moleka has arranged for Margaret to stay.
"It was a long single room" which was "covered in layers of dust and cobwebs" the place they are entering has remained unused for some time. We notice an immediate change in the rhythm of the narrative as they enter the library, from the preceding scene of "goats and people" jumping and vans.
