West With the Night Book Three

Characterizations: (2)

"He spoke of his life since they had given him that spear he had always wanted and had made a murani out of him- and had renamed him Arab Ruta. Kibii was someone he barely knew. Kibii was gone, Kibii was literature. This was a warrior and a man of solemn thoughts." Page 147

This quote demonstrates the change in Kibii as he grows up. When he was a child with Lakweit, becoming a murani was his goal and his center of being. Now, as an adult, Kibii has grown older and has matured into a noble tribal member as his father was. This maturation is due to his want for belonging and the drive to give his family pride and somehow repair the hurt caused by his father's death. He no longer laughs as easily, is a husband and has become serious and honorable. Arab Ruta is now a man and his childhood is oddly separate from his adulthood as if his past was merely a dream. This facet of Ruta's character is partially due to the belief of the murani as it applies to coming of age and maturation of its children.

Page 152

I know what you're thinking,. The motorcar looks silly here-your horse looks natural. But you can't stop things, you know. One day, when the roads are built, this whole country will be rumbling with trains and cars-and we'll all get used to it.

This man's words embody the philosophy of the wealthy landowner who wishes to expand and also his words show something that is a key part of Beryl's personality. To her, Africa is different than it is to other people. She believes it only to be a muse upon which people can lay their feelings. This man believes the same, that his africa is the only africa that makes any sense. That such a land cannot go to waste by remaining as unreachable. The man wishes to own the land and feel it. He wishes to be selfish and typical. This short quote is all it takes for his wishes to be presented to the reader.

Intransitive Statements:

Page 137

This is silence. This ride through the boisterous birth of a forest day is silent to me. The birds sing, but they have no song that I can head; the scamper of a bush-buck at my elbow is the whisking of a ghost through a phantom wood.

The intransitive statement: this is silence, shows what silence is and sets the mood for Beryl's trip north away from her childhood. This is the subject, is, is the state of being verb and silence is the adjective. Instead of simply saying that the ride was quiet, the figurative language used actually says that it was silent and then goes on to explain and describe what silence entails. Silence is sorrow at leaving and the uncertainty of the future. Beryl has but a few personal belongings and a horse to start off her life. Her silence is mental and self-imposed. She is apprehensive and thinking and the silence of her own mind permeates the section of the story that deals with her travels.

Page 132

The sky was clear as a window one morning ...

This intransitive statement sets the mood figuratively for Beryl's observations. As she travels, she sees her mystic Africa and comments on it. The sky is the subject, was is the state of being verb and clear is the adjective. Beryl is saying what the sky is to her. It is not almost clear or blurred in anyway, but it is clear, as clear as a window. The clearness of the sky could also stand for the limit of sky. It goes on infinitely and its clarity is only eclipsed by its continuity. As she stares at the clear sky she thinks of the large world outside of her home, and how she must leave it against her will.

Page 145

It is an ancient lamp, not of my own things . It's base is cheap metal, nicked in places, its chimney is smudged with soot. Ho has it lighted the hours of many men.

This intransitive statement is describing the lamp which has done so much for Beryl and the farm. Its appearance is ragged, but it serves a purpose and provides a link between years of hard work and need for the inanimate object. It is the subject, is is the state of being verb and ancient is the adjective. This lamp is given its characteristics by the people who use is as an essential part of their lives. It is like an old pair of shoes towards which someone may have a special affinity. I remember that I was helping to clean my aunts house out after she moved, when we came upon a lamp and my uncle said "this was the very lamp that your uncle used to study for his Suma Cum Laude" A piece of battered history that has been the casual observer of people's lives and give its battle wounds by those same users.

Allusions:

One allusion that has no central quote would be that Beryl's horse is named Pegasus. This name denotes heroism and honor and the ability to transcend evil as in the Story of Pegasus and Bellerophon. Pegasus in the myth is the wild horse who is only able to be ridden by Bellerophon. Bellerophon is also honorable because he rides the horse and is independent from the world around him. They both have no masters and are free to fight demons and evils and they defeat them. This is true for Beryl also. She is Bellerophon on her Pegasus. She is noble and unique and she breaks the barriers of the stereotypical housewife which is a battle that could be analogous to the battles of Bellerophon and Pegasus against monsters that threaten people's lives.

Page 173

...And then its over. Then it's silent as if somebody closed the door on Babel.

A fable of why we have different languages is the story of the tower of Babel. In the story, people wanted to build a tower that reached heaven. God became angered and thwarted their plans by making them talk in different languages so that they would be able to get nothing done. This quote occurs at the horserace and it refers to the crowd silencing at the end of the race like someone had taken away the ability to talk.