Xala pages 1-50
When I first started reading Xala I thought El Hadji was a very weak man. Yay Bineta wounds his pride so he ends up getting sucked into a third marriage, to N'Gone, to prove that he is "the master in his own house." He doesn't really care for his family at all other than to show that he is the leader of them. He throws money around by giving some to either wife or children when they ask for it and by spending a lot on the third wedding. He even buys N'Gone a car for her wedding, for being a virgin (or so he thinks).
On his wedding night El Hadji, is unable to perform so he thinks someone put a curse on him, which is called xala. He calls upon the President of the "Business Group" to help him who then takes him to a marabout. Of course this doesn't work so he sees many healers, who take advantage of him because he is dressed in eastern business clothes and drives a nice car. El Hadji fails to see this and spends a lot of money trying to find a cure. His relationships such as they were with his other wives starts to dwindle, Adja knows of the xala but does not comment on it and Oumi N'Doye thinks El Hadji is beginning to neglect her in favor of his third wife. Adja is embarrassed by what people are saying and she is too ashamed to even leave the house. His oldest daughter Rama, who does not agree with polygamy, which I would have to agree with her even if it is the way some religions practice, is worried for her mother but like all of the children, I think, has no real relationship with her father.
In the few weeks since the wedding El Hadji is consumed by trying to break the xala, he is starting to neglect his business, but he keeps on spending as if he has all the money in the world. His bitterness over this is starting to age him immensely. Babacar, N' Gone's father, takes El Hadji to see a seet-katt (a seer), but I don't think he finds out anything new about the xala or who caused this curse on him, except that it was someone close to him and that it was carried out during the night. Which I thought from the beginning it was someone close to him who wants to see him fall apart, not only financially but physically and emotionally as well, since any blow to his manhood is a big blow to him at his pride, and since I think El Hadji is such a weak man, to wound his pride is not something that can go overlooked. Of course, I think now the Xala is going to consume El Hadji's life until he finds a cure or ends up letting the obsession of it completely destroy him.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Nervous Conditions
In the first chapter of the book you learn that the narrator, a young girl named Tambudzai, has lost her older brother. She opens up by saying that she is not sad her brother is dead. At first it seems really strange. Then you learn of her situation. Her life in a very destitute village, and her brothers escape to a mission with their wealthy uncle. You get the feeling that her brother often gloated about his more fortunate situation and had become disdainful of his families lifestyle.
Chapter two gives you a little insight of the uncle, Babamukurus life. He was educated at a mission as a young boy and sent to England to finish his studies as a young adult. When he came back from England he decided to help his nephew, Tambudzai's brother, get a good education. As the benefactor of the family he felt it was his duty. Tambudzai begins to see the injustice of her situation. She feels it is unfair that she cannot go to school while her brother is sent to a mission to study. She asks her father for her own corn so she can raise her own crop and hopefully make enough to afford her own school fees. Her brother, Nhamo ends up stealing some of her crop and giving it away, but fortunately a teacher takes her to a near by town where he is able to help her make ten pounds in order to pay for her education by selling what is left of her crop. When Tambudzai's father finds out how much she made, he attempts to take it from her. When the school will not allow him to take the money, their father/daughter relationship turns into two people who simply try to coexist.
In chapter three Tambudzai tells of her uncles homecoming from England. Her family considered him to be a god like figure in the family. On that day, Babamukurus tells her father that Nhamo needs to get a quality education, and that he, Baba, will pay for it. Tambudzai is very jealous and feels cheated, but is also alarmed by how different Baba's children are. She feels she hardly knows her cousins anymore. When her brother comes back for his first break after being at the mission she sees similar changes in him. Since she has never been found of her brother she doesn't really care that he is different because he talks to her less. At the end of the chapter the family is waiting for Nhamo to arrive home for another visit. He is very late, and eventually Baba shows up without Nhamo, who has passed away. Tambudzai learns that she will fill his place at the mission and she feels like justice has finally been done for her. She feels like she worked harder to earn her education then her brother ever did, and she also wishes for the opportunity to prove her father wrong.
In chapters four and five, Tambudzai is arriving at her uncles house. To her it seems like a castle. She cannot believe the luxury that they live in compared to her families squalor. It is overwhelming and exciting to her. After talking to her uncle she is determined to prove herself and do a good job. She also feels better about her cousin, Nyasha.
Tambudzai starts to learn alot about her cousin in chapter five. How the aversion she thought Nyasha felt towards the family on the homecoming trip was really just nervousness. However she also sees a side of Nyasha that she feels is disrespectful, proud, and ungrateful. She feels Nyasha treats her parents with out respect, and her aunt and uncle agree. Tambudzai starts to adjust to life at the mission. She makes many friends and finds out that Nyasha doesn't have many of her own. She learns that her aunt has a masters degree, but for some reason doesn't get to keep any of the money she makes doing her job. Tambudzai doesn't learn where the money goes but she sees the great sacrifices her aunt has made for her family, above all her children.
In chapter six Tambudzai describes a little more about life on the mission. More about the missionaries themselves. She and Nyasha are friends with the daughter of a missionary. This girls name is Nyaradzo Baker and she has two brothers, Brian and Andrew. Nyashas brother Chido good friends with the Baker boys and attends the same private school as they do. In this chapter Nyasha finally convinces Tambudzai to go to one of the school dances. Tambudzai finally loosens up and has a good time. On the way home Tambudzai and Chido go directly into the house while Nyasha and Andrew linger to long in the front. Baba's frustration with his daughter finally reaches its breaking point and they actually get into a physical fight which has the family upset for days. While Tambudzai sees that the plight of females stretches everywhere, not just in her poor homestead, she feels that Nyasha was still out of line. However, Tambudzai doesn't know how to organize her thoughts to process how she feels about the way women are oppressed and held under men. She has known it all her life, and even though she doesn't like it she accepts it.
After a visit back to Tambu's homestead, Baba is disturbed by the presence of Tambu's aunt Lucia. Lucia is Tambu's mothers sister who came to the homestead to look after her sister. Lucia has been known for being out spoken and "loose". Lucia gets pregnant and the father is a cousin of Baba's. Baba is very ashamed and says the family is living in disgrace. He is unable to force Lucia to leave and Decided the next best course of action is for Tambu's parents to marry, since they have been living in sin.
Tambu is humiliated by the thought of her parents being paraded around by Baba in this wedding ceremony. She feels that she can't attend because she won't be able to bear it. However, she has never defied Baba before and she feels that that is a sin in itself, after how much he has done for her family. Yet she starts to have more negative feelings about him.
In the end, Tambu refused to go to the wedding. Baba pays her back by giving her 15 lashes and making her do the maides chores for two weeks. Lucia and Nyasha feel its very unfair, Lucia even agrees with Tambu that the wedding was a humiliation and she should not have had to attend.
Tambu's mission is visited by a group of nuns. The girls at the mission are very impressed by the nuns clothing and way of life and all of them want desperately to attend Sacred Heart. Tambu is chosen among all of them to go to the school. At first Baba doesn't want her to go, but with the help of her aunt she is permitted.
After Tambu arrives at the school she sees that things will not be quite as glamorous for her because she is black, but she knows that the education she will receive will help her greatly in the future. Nyasha starts go miss Tambu greatly, and falls very ill. She is wasting away and doesn't want to stop it because she feels like the world is an unjust place for women. She doesn't want to be trapped in the way her mother is, yet she sees no other option.
At the end of the book you kind of get the idea that Tambu will do something great. She finally sees the limits put on women, and finally sees Baba in a more realistic light. Even though she does not hate him, she refuses to worship him like the family had in the past.
Chapter two gives you a little insight of the uncle, Babamukurus life. He was educated at a mission as a young boy and sent to England to finish his studies as a young adult. When he came back from England he decided to help his nephew, Tambudzai's brother, get a good education. As the benefactor of the family he felt it was his duty. Tambudzai begins to see the injustice of her situation. She feels it is unfair that she cannot go to school while her brother is sent to a mission to study. She asks her father for her own corn so she can raise her own crop and hopefully make enough to afford her own school fees. Her brother, Nhamo ends up stealing some of her crop and giving it away, but fortunately a teacher takes her to a near by town where he is able to help her make ten pounds in order to pay for her education by selling what is left of her crop. When Tambudzai's father finds out how much she made, he attempts to take it from her. When the school will not allow him to take the money, their father/daughter relationship turns into two people who simply try to coexist.
In chapter three Tambudzai tells of her uncles homecoming from England. Her family considered him to be a god like figure in the family. On that day, Babamukurus tells her father that Nhamo needs to get a quality education, and that he, Baba, will pay for it. Tambudzai is very jealous and feels cheated, but is also alarmed by how different Baba's children are. She feels she hardly knows her cousins anymore. When her brother comes back for his first break after being at the mission she sees similar changes in him. Since she has never been found of her brother she doesn't really care that he is different because he talks to her less. At the end of the chapter the family is waiting for Nhamo to arrive home for another visit. He is very late, and eventually Baba shows up without Nhamo, who has passed away. Tambudzai learns that she will fill his place at the mission and she feels like justice has finally been done for her. She feels like she worked harder to earn her education then her brother ever did, and she also wishes for the opportunity to prove her father wrong.
In chapters four and five, Tambudzai is arriving at her uncles house. To her it seems like a castle. She cannot believe the luxury that they live in compared to her families squalor. It is overwhelming and exciting to her. After talking to her uncle she is determined to prove herself and do a good job. She also feels better about her cousin, Nyasha.
Tambudzai starts to learn alot about her cousin in chapter five. How the aversion she thought Nyasha felt towards the family on the homecoming trip was really just nervousness. However she also sees a side of Nyasha that she feels is disrespectful, proud, and ungrateful. She feels Nyasha treats her parents with out respect, and her aunt and uncle agree. Tambudzai starts to adjust to life at the mission. She makes many friends and finds out that Nyasha doesn't have many of her own. She learns that her aunt has a masters degree, but for some reason doesn't get to keep any of the money she makes doing her job. Tambudzai doesn't learn where the money goes but she sees the great sacrifices her aunt has made for her family, above all her children.
In chapter six Tambudzai describes a little more about life on the mission. More about the missionaries themselves. She and Nyasha are friends with the daughter of a missionary. This girls name is Nyaradzo Baker and she has two brothers, Brian and Andrew. Nyashas brother Chido good friends with the Baker boys and attends the same private school as they do. In this chapter Nyasha finally convinces Tambudzai to go to one of the school dances. Tambudzai finally loosens up and has a good time. On the way home Tambudzai and Chido go directly into the house while Nyasha and Andrew linger to long in the front. Baba's frustration with his daughter finally reaches its breaking point and they actually get into a physical fight which has the family upset for days. While Tambudzai sees that the plight of females stretches everywhere, not just in her poor homestead, she feels that Nyasha was still out of line. However, Tambudzai doesn't know how to organize her thoughts to process how she feels about the way women are oppressed and held under men. She has known it all her life, and even though she doesn't like it she accepts it.
After a visit back to Tambu's homestead, Baba is disturbed by the presence of Tambu's aunt Lucia. Lucia is Tambu's mothers sister who came to the homestead to look after her sister. Lucia has been known for being out spoken and "loose". Lucia gets pregnant and the father is a cousin of Baba's. Baba is very ashamed and says the family is living in disgrace. He is unable to force Lucia to leave and Decided the next best course of action is for Tambu's parents to marry, since they have been living in sin.
Tambu is humiliated by the thought of her parents being paraded around by Baba in this wedding ceremony. She feels that she can't attend because she won't be able to bear it. However, she has never defied Baba before and she feels that that is a sin in itself, after how much he has done for her family. Yet she starts to have more negative feelings about him.
In the end, Tambu refused to go to the wedding. Baba pays her back by giving her 15 lashes and making her do the maides chores for two weeks. Lucia and Nyasha feel its very unfair, Lucia even agrees with Tambu that the wedding was a humiliation and she should not have had to attend.
Tambu's mission is visited by a group of nuns. The girls at the mission are very impressed by the nuns clothing and way of life and all of them want desperately to attend Sacred Heart. Tambu is chosen among all of them to go to the school. At first Baba doesn't want her to go, but with the help of her aunt she is permitted.
After Tambu arrives at the school she sees that things will not be quite as glamorous for her because she is black, but she knows that the education she will receive will help her greatly in the future. Nyasha starts go miss Tambu greatly, and falls very ill. She is wasting away and doesn't want to stop it because she feels like the world is an unjust place for women. She doesn't want to be trapped in the way her mother is, yet she sees no other option.
At the end of the book you kind of get the idea that Tambu will do something great. She finally sees the limits put on women, and finally sees Baba in a more realistic light. Even though she does not hate him, she refuses to worship him like the family had in the past.
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