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"Country Lovers" vs. "A Meeting in the Dark" (1) Before the collapse of Soviet Union in 1991, the book publishing practice in this country was based on one simple principle only the books of ideologically committed authors would be allowed for public release. No matter how untalented a particular writer might have been, his literary creations would still be published by millions of copies, for as long as they contained panegyrics to the ideas of workers solidarity, racial equality, dictatorship of proletariat etc. Nowadays, the history seem to repeat itself no matter how distasteful, stylistically unrefined or even socially dangerous the novels of progressive writers might be, these writers are still often able gain a public recognition, for as long as they have proven their commitment to praising the neo-Liberal ideals of multiculturalism, sexual diversity, interracial mixing (celebration of diversity) and cultural relativism. The validity of this statement can be best illustrated when we compare the ideas, contained in Nadine Gordimer's short story Country Lovers, with the ones that can be identified as marking Ngugi wa Thiongo'o short storys A Meeting in the Dark ideological sounding, because these ideas do not only account for the bulk of novels dubious literary value, but also provide us with the insight on the essence of both authors existential inadequacy, since in their stories, both: Gordimer and Thiongo'o have made a point in describing the very concept of euro-centrism as evil, while enjoying the civilized (euro-centric) living in New York. (2) In Country Lovers, Gordimer did not even try to conceal the fact that, from very beginning, her novel was meant to serve as the literary vehicle of promoting neo-Liberal outlook on the practice of interracial mixing, as not only absolutely appropriate, but even necessary, within a process of world becoming more tolerant place to live.
As in her article Interrogating Mythology: Black Empowerment in Nadine Gordimer's Post-Apartheid Writing, Isidore Diala have rightly pointed out: Gordimer, in her non-fictional work as in her fiction, consistently seeks to nurture the myth (black empowerment), while rigorously privileging history and providing readers with rather biased outlook on the realities of apartheid in South Africa (Diala 41). The plot of Country Lovers is comparatively easy to follow: White farmers son Paulus Eysendyck becomes romantically involved with the daughter of one of farms Black workers Thebedi. Even though that both love birds seemed to enjoy their time together, with their relationship being described as based on mutual respect, Eysendyck comes to a logical conclusion that he would not be able to actually marry Thebedi, as South Africa's apartheid laws strictly forbade interracial marriages. Apparently, Thebedi comes to the same conclusion, which in its turn, prompts her to break up with Eysendyck and to marry one of her old friends, a Black guy named Njabulo. However, in two months of time, after Thebedi and Njabulo became newlyweds, Thebedi gives birth to a mongrel-baby, which instantly makes Thebedi the subject of ridicule, in the eyes of her Black friends and relatives. To make things worse, Eysendyck finds out about the baby and demands Thebedi to secretly meet him, in order to discuss the way out of situation.
Thebedi agrees she allows Eysendyck to come and visit her in one of villages huts. After having failed at trying to convince Thebedi to give away her child: Don't take it out. Stay inside, can't you take it away somewhere. You must give it to someone (Gordimer 55), so that the father could avoid being ridiculed by his White friends as well, Eysendyck simply walks into the hut and kills the child. During the course of Eysendyck's trial, Thebedi refuses to testify against her former boyfriend, and as a result, Eysendyck gets to be acquitted of all charges. The storys ideological message can be summarized as follows: It is not only that the system of apartheid is innately inhumane, but also that the Liberal-minded descendants of those who had designed such system, continue to remain racists deep inside, even when they consider themselves an open-minded individuals. (2) The plot of Thiongo's story A Meeting in the Dark cannot be referred to as being overly sophisticated either: While being a young man, Stanley (a Black agricultural worker, who later became a Priest), have had sex with his girlfriend Susana, which eventually resulted in the birth of Stanley's son John.
However, as it is often the case with people who cannot resist their anomalistic urges and with those who suffer from being affected by mental illnesses (Bible is the most read book in mental asylums), Stanley became suddenly stricken with the thought that his sexual relationship with Susanna represented a moral misdeed, which in its turn, had prompted him to convert to Christianity and to denounce his own sexuality as sinful. Moreover, he decided to raise John in such a way that his son would never even begin wondering about why men are being born with penises. It is needless to say, of course, that by the time he reached fifteen, John knew just about everything about the process of child-making (this is what Black Africans are famous for despite the fact that they do not know how to farm, build cars or assemble computers, their child-making skills remain unsurpassable). Therefore, it was only the matter of time, before he would meet a girl, unfortunate enough to become a mother of his unwanted child. This girls name was Wamuhu. While being a little girl, Wamuhu was circumcised (the practice of female circumcision is one of Africa's trademarks), which meant that John could not marry her, without losing the chances to gain social prominence in the future: Why could he not defy all expectations, all prospects of a future, and marry the girl?
No. No. It was impossible. She was circumcised and he knew that his father and the church would never consent to such a marriage. Marrying her would probably ruin his chances of ever going to a university (Thiongo 133). This is why, just as Gordimer's character of Eysendyck, John tries to reason with Wamuhu, while promising her money if she decides to simply abandon the baby (probably not a bad idea, given the fact that Kenya is grossly overpopulated).
However, just as any normal mother, Wamuhu refuses. This causes Johns true colors to come out of his skin-deep layer of Western civility - like a savage beast; he attacks Wamuhu and strangles her to death. The morale of this story can be defined as follows: It is namely the fact that John was being spiritually corrupted by his close affiliation with White people and with their culture and religion (just like his father), which had set him on the path of self-destruction. Therefore, nothing good can ever come from Whites: Then the White men had come, preaching a strange religion, strange ways, which all men followed.
The tribes code of behavior was broken. The new faith could not keep the tribe together (Thiongo 130). Moreover, Blacks who adopt White mans ways, cannot possibly win White racists favor, because such brothers willingness to become just like White people, actually turn them into clowns: Those coated with the white clay of the Whitemans ways are the worst. They have nothing inside. Nothing nothing here (Thiongo 131). Therefore, intelligent Black people should always be sticking to their cultural roots, and under no circumstances, can they even consider the possibility of being absorbed by White mans world.
Such storys idea corresponds rather well to the ideals of Black separatism, promoted by Thiongo in his other literary works and articles, such as Europhonism, Universities, and the Magic Fountain: The Future of African Literature and Scholarship, where Thiongo declares that Black writers will never be able to gain a literary fame, for as long as they continue to remain the part of euro-centric society: In the advanced Western capitalist democracies, many writers, unable to face the extreme contradictions of capitalism and the impoverishment of human life under the same economic system, have been driven to individualism, cynicism, abstractionism, despair and often suicide (Thiongo 3). Nevertheless, such authors strong anti-Western stance did not prevent him from immigrating to America (self-imposed exile) and making New York the place of his residence, while being bombarded by numerous honorary awards, on the part of such flaming leftist organizations as NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) and NBWHP (National Black Womens Health Project). Moreover, in 2005, Thiongo was given a Professorship in University of California (apparently, he specializes in Comparative Literature and Performance Studies), which in its turn, made Thiongo to believe that, while in U. S. , he can indulge in anti-social behavior, without facing the prospects of persecution, simply because he now considers himself as a some sort of authority in the field combating racial discrimination. (3) As we have mentioned earlier, the stories Country Lovers and A Meeting in the Dark contain many essentially the same themes. For example, the theme of social prejudices, as such that destroy the lives of people who dared to oppose them, is being exploited by both: Thiongo and Gordimer down to smallest details. The character of Eysendyck can be well compared to the character of John both these young men are being forced to commit murder by a set of circumstances, over which they could not possibly have any control.
Also, there are many similarities in how both stories exploit the theme of Black peoples submissiveness, as such that can only be dealt with by the mean of education. Nevertheless, the most important similarity between two stories accounts for both authors clearly defined tendency to deny even the principle of rationality as euro-centric and therefore, necessarily evil. In his article A Conversation with Ngugi wa Thiongo'o, Vencat Rao provides us with the insight onto the fact that Thiongo actively strives to ridicule just about anything that he associates with evil West: I use the phrase "moving the center" in the context of moving the center from its assumed centrality in the West to where it should be in a multiplicity of centers all over the world. Because each of our own experiences can be a center from which you look at the world (Rao 166). All this can be explained by the fact that Thiongo and Gordimer seem to be equally committed to instilling White people with the complex of historical guilt, so that they would be more willing to open up their wallets, when being asked to come up with monetary compensations for historical injustices, committed by their ancestors. It is well worth noticing that, despite the fact that Gordimer and Thiongo are being formally affiliated with different political ideologies (Gordimer is Social-Democrat and Thiongo is a Marxist), the short stories, analyzed in this paper, promote essentially the same outlook on objective socio-political reality worlds evils originate out of the concept of social stratification, which in its turn, is being addressed by Gordimer and Thiongo as the by-product of White peoples existential wickedness.
In other words in the eyes of both writers, it is the individuals willingness to violate the principles of civilized living (opposing racism), which amount to his or her foremost worth, as a human being. This is the reason why for duration of 12 years, Gordimer acted as the closest aide to one of the most notorious terrorists of 20 th century - Nelson Mandela, whose national-liberation movement has been sponsored directly from Kremlin. In her Nobel Lecture, Gordimer had even made a point in emphasizing her role in the process of South African Republics national integrity being undermined from within: There is a paradox. In retaining its integrity, the writer sometimes must risk both: the states indictment of treason and the liberation forces complaint of lack of blind commitment (Gordimer 1991).
Gordimer makes a good point setting up bombs in crowded public places, as her good buddy Mandela used to do, may qualify for the act of treason indeed. However, it remains quite unclear how individuals willingness to act as the agent of foreign influence can be literary inspirational. Thus, given the fact that we have exposed Thiongo as a Marxist and Gordimer as the person associated with international terrorism, it would be very naive, on our part, to think that the reading of their short stories Country Lovers and A Meeting in the Dark might come in handy, within a context of people gaining a clue, as to the essence of Africa's former and current socio-political realities. In the next part of this paper, we will show why it is due to the political activity of people like Gordimer and Thiongo, that todays Africa has been turned into the arena of never ending tribal warfare, just as it was the case, before the arrival of White settlers. (4) The reason why, after the end of colonial era, the social and economic conditions in Africa started to deteriorate with an alarming speed, is very simple as history shows, the native citizens of Third World countries (Black Africans) can only advance culturally and economically for as long as they maintain close social contacts with Whites.
Once these contacts are being cut off, as the ultimate result of national-liberation movements achieving g their goals, peoples existential status quo in such countries becomes instantly re-established: they turn into what they have always used to be, before the arrival of European explorers savages who live in primitive huts, made out of dirt, who eat cockroaches for breakfast and who drink out of rain paddles. It is namely due to the policy of apartheid being given an official status in South African Republic and in Rhodesia (since the end of WWII until comparatively recent times), that these countries remained the centres of culture and progress on the whole African continent. Therefore, there are many good reasons to think of Gordimer and Thiongo as being partially responsible for the fact that the countries of their former residence have been turned into nothing short of hell on Earth (for example, in todays South Africa, 90 % of citizens are believed to be HIV positive), simply because of both authors blind commitment to the concept of interracial egalitarianism, which in recent years, has even been transformed into reversed racism, on their part. At the same time, it would be wrong to think of Gordimer and Thiongo and being overly naive individuals after all, both writers are now enjoying a comfortable living in evil West, while their native Africa continues to descent into primeval savagery, as we speak.
Bibliography: Boynton, Graham Ian Smith has Sadly Been Proved Right. 22 Dec. 2007. Telegraph. Co. Uk. 20 Apr. 2009. web Diala, Isidore.
Interrogating Mythology: Black Empowerment in Nadine Gordimer's Post-Apartheid Writing. Novel. (38) 1, (2004): 41 - 56. Gordimer, Nadine Town and Country Lovers. NY: The Gale Group, 2002. Gordimer, Nadine Nobel Lecture. 1991. Script. 20 Apr. 2009.
web Lamprecht, Jan Farm Murders in South Africa (from 1994 -present). 2002. African Crisis. Org. 20 Apr. 2009. web Rao, Venkat. A Conversation with Ngugi wa Thiongo'o. Research in African Literatures. (30) 1, (1999): 162 - 8.
Thiongo, Ngugi Short Stories. Hartford: Heinemann, 1999. Thiongo'o, Ngugi. Europhonism, Universities, and the Magic Fountain: The Future of African Literature and Scholarship. Research in African Literatures (31) 1, (2000): 1 - 11. Outline: Introduction / Thesis Country Lovers A Meeting in the Dark Critique / Conclusion
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Research essay sample on Country Lovers Vs A Meeting In The Dark
