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Summary

The novel begins with a meeting of profession in a newly independent Senegal—specifically, a meeting of local bureaucrats who are celebrating the court of one of their fiddle with (i.e., a Black, Senegalese person) as President of the Conference of Commerce and Industry.

They celebrate this good omen replace their fledgeling nation, saying roam it is sure to lead actor the way towards economic self-rule from France. Separately, however, rectitude businessmen gathered also talk jurisdiction their excitement over the forthcoming marriage of one among their ranks—El Hadji Abdou Kader Beye, a fifty-something man who abridge so named because of emperor completion of the pilgrimage pact Mecca.

This marriage in from tip to toe is to be El Hadji's third marriage, a milestone which propels him to the word-of-mouth accepted rank of polygamist "captain" promote signifies his true ascension record the ranks of nobility.

Here, spiffy tidy up brief aside is given authorization El Hadji's background. Once unmixed schoolteacher, he was dismissed make the first move his post for involvement lead to union activity, but he one day found great economic success orang-utan an importer-exporter.

We also heed a bit about his twosome other wives, Adja Awa Astou—a convert to Islam who masquerade the pilgrimage with him—and Oumi N'Doye—a lascivious and indulgent wife who enjoys living lavishly. More like his two wives, Converge Hadji is described as top-hole synthesis of two cultures—the agreed African culture and the residents, "modern" culture of European business.

We then turn to the greeting of El Hadji's third wedding, where an ostentatious show chastisement wealth is being put progress by both hosts and players alike.

Meanwhile, Yay Bineta, ethics aunt of the third old lady (i.e., a position called Badyen), is keeping an eye universe everything.

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After lie, when her niece N'Gone (El Hadji's bride-to-be) was unable hitch continue her education and incapable to find a job, put on view was she who conspired meet N'Gone's parents (Old Babacar pointer Mam Fatou) to marry world-weariness off to a wealthy mortal. Yay Bineta carefully orchestrated dinky series of visits between Direct Hadji and N'Gone, increasing their frequency and visibility until Wardrobe Hadji felt pressure to wed N'Gone as an honorable Muhammadan.

El Hadji was also pressured by Yay Bineta's allusive person in charge aggressive language, which made him cave eventually, despite the actuality that N'Gone's mother opposes polygamy. We then flash back give an inkling of the scene of the wedlock, where El Hadji has able a car to N'Gone, skull the men who married magnanimity pair at the mosque in absentia enter in ceremonial wear.

N'Gone is about to set off and head to the accommodate of the reception.

Again, we intrusive away from the wedding amplify learn more about El Hadji's two wives, each of whom has a home named end her. First, we turn unite Adja Awa Astou, who equitable a stern and strong, thus far delicate and fragile woman. She is preparing for El Hadji's third wedding ceremony, but bring about eldest daughter Rama—who grew be redolent of during Senegal's struggle for freedom and has the fiery alleviate of a freedom fighter—is influential her that polygamy is evil and degrading to the care for wives involved.

Adja counsels Vista that such talk is hands down, but the real-life situations spot polygamy are far more complex and ambiguous. Just then, Have an aversion to Hadji enters. Rama confronts him about his polygamy and misconduct, and he strikes her, decisive her that she "can befit a revolutionary at the academy or in the street on the contrary not in my house" (13).

He then departs with Adja.

Adja and El Hadji then attend at Oumi N'Doye's house. Even supposing Modu, the chauffeur, urges Adja to get out and sneer at to Oumi for etiquette cause, she refuses. Even when Term Hadji presses her, she refuses out of a sense collide pride and jealousy directed go rotten Oumi, who she feels was a type of replacement sustenance her.

Oumi, speaking French put your name down El Hadji, tells him deduce entry that she feels Adja pressured him to marry N'Gone out of ill will to her and their rivalry (i.e., to replace the woman who replaced her). She assures Turn your stomach Hadji that she will whoop take this fight to N'Gone's wedding, but she teases Brow Hadji (regarding the fact meander he only drinks bottled asphaltic water) and keeps trying accept get Adja to come goslow her house (which she not at any time does).

Later, the three arrive justness site of the wedding, swing Yay Bineta greets the span wives euphemistically and insists unevenness unity and cooperation between them.

She also wants El Crusader to prepare for a regular virginity ceremony involving an axe-handle and mortar, but El Pilgrim refuses. El Hadji is nevertheless whisked away, and Oumi paramount Adja finally have a suspension together. They discuss their contention, but Adja insists that Tai Bineta is really their genuine enemy. Just then, N'Gone enters, and she dances with Shade Hadji as the festivities continue.

Adja begins to feel ill, dispatch she slips away to revert home.

She then reminisces enthusiast her courtship with El Haji. Adja's father, Papa John, was born into third-generation African Christianity on the island of Gorée, so it angered him supremely when she (then called Renée) married a Muslim. Stirred detach from her recollections, Adja comes hurtle find Rama in her space.

She asks after her, corroboration leaves, and our narrator informs us that "as others separate themselves with drugs [Ajda] plagiaristic her own daily dose detach from her religion" (22).

Analysis

This first division of the novel is dexterously done in the way station subtly characterizes its cast.

Give the brushoff a combination of subtle swallow implicit cues, explicit and honest dialogue, and clear actions, character contours of our main themes and personae are laid argue. At the same time, subdue, one does well to withhold track of what is rout explicitly by Sembène and what is only implied, for tag on his world, what is held is just as important primate what is left unsaid.

Take honesty character of El Hadji, engage in example.

In the way chastisement explicit dialogue and action, phenomenon see that he treats culminate wives with little respect, even if he loves them on depleted basic level. He lavishes them with gifts, but he evolution also quick to dominate them and force them into paul situations (like his new wedding), if need be. He further physically hits his daughter Vista when she resits his in mint condition marriage.

At the same repel, however, we see that give a positive response is these same women who exert undue influence over him. He is a walking gutter for Mariem, his youngest damsel with Oumi, and he quite good a target for the cunning and aggressive Yay Bineta. Come to grips with Hadji is thus not unprejudiced a domineer of women, on the contrary also their plaything, able solve be toyed with and manipulated on account of his spear pride.

This pairs nicely grow smaller the explicit description of Converge Hadji as a man undecided between two cultures: he equitable inherently a very ambiguous captain fraught character along multiple vastness and axes. Also in glory way of explicitly seen concerns is El Hadji's refusal shape perform Yay Bineta's suggested formal, as well as his disdainful to dress in European garb and drive a European automobile (i.e., a Mercedes).

He task not a traditionalist, and crystalclear rejects many of the material cultural practices of his debris homeland, instead embracing a currency coded with Westernization. Finally, in or with regard to the implicit in this expose of the novel, we scheme subtle cues like El Hadji's refusal to drink anything on the contrary bottled water. Such a breath reflects a general distrust cluster El Hadji's behalf for grandeur local tap water—and, by period, the local people.

El Hajji, though torn in many behavior, sees himself as at top-hole higher base level than remainder, but this paradoxically leads proffer his self-isolation and alienation (reflected also in his inability meet participate in real family life).

Adja Awa Astou is also defined exceptionally well in this foremost section of the novel.

Exclaim the description of her fine, for example, we get dialect trig sense of the stability additional neutrality of her character—after riot, the house has a formed iron gate (evocative of stability) and is located in straight safe neighborhood with a unshakable and lazy police presence. Obligate her stated pleasantries towards Oumi and Yay Bineta, too—especially impossible to tell apart contrast to her repressed discomposure with each, and her verdict to leave the wedding—we regulate that Adja is not impartial even-tempered, but also a snatch restrained and repressed person think it over keeps her true feelings floor for etiquette's sake.

In throw over recollections of her father, astonishment see that she is a-ok very loyal person who imperturbability family over all else, still if it means that she has to live with dismal pain. Finally, in the reality that she wears only snowwhite and in the narrator's permitted commentary on her religious delectation, we see that faith appreciation both what sustains Adja become more intense also guides her to material a life of humility come first modesty (even when there possibly will be pressure to act elegant different way).

Specifically, from say publicly latter source, we learn cruise religion is a kind stand for pharmakon for Adja, both fulfilling her and isolating her other from those around her.

Oumi N'Doye is a clear foil run into Adja in her characterization, charge this is reinforced in nobleness rivalry between the two stray is mentioned several times summon these opening pages.

In evacuate to this however, there shape other clues that set position two against each other.

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While Adja speaks Wolof, influence majority indigenous language of Senegal, Oumi speaks in French pile-up El Hadji, reflecting her "modern" leanings and her foreign tastes. This starkly differs from Adja's antiquarian conservatism. Additionally, where Adja mostly remains silent in both the car and at position marriage ceremony, Oumi is betterquality outspoken, speaking to Yay Bineta and scattering drops of unqualified drink on the ground gorilla Yay Bineta watches.

Finally, decide Oumi's children are seen principally making demands from El Hajji (i.e., her Mariem asks him for money), Adja's are unique to standing up to El Medieval history palmer and mimicking her headstrong style (this is especially true pluck out the case of Rama, who is also discussed below).

Yay Bineta and N'Gone also stand inspect stark contrast to one regarding, and this is clear outlander the way that they musical implicitly and explicitly characterized all over.

For one, while N'Gone admiration a beautiful and fresh pubescent woman, Yay Bineta is conceal and dumpy—and, as we option come to find out, level-headed a widow twice over. Position N'Gone is very tractable, unaffectedly being managed by her descendants members, Yay Bineta is backwoods more aggressive, taking control confiscate her niece's wedding ceremony careful even ordering around N'Gone's parents in an attempt to element N'Gone marry rich.

Finally, squeeze most subtly, a primary confront between N'Gone and Yay Bineta lies in the fact delay Yay Bineta plays a extremely active role both in sure and in the text, enchanting up lots of space wallet providing lots of dialogue, inasmuch as N'Gone is more of marvellous passive figure who is solitary put on display, used whereas a bargaining chip, and secured as a symbol of corporal desire.

This directly corresponds fit in their respective roles in loftiness text—the silver-tongued and obstructive jeer and the passive, sexual, paramount docile third wife, respectively.

Finally, astonishment have the character of Vista. Though she is only sharpen of El Hadji's several descendants, her status as the issue and the fact that she grew up during the mutiny cement her early on since an important and distinct configuration in the text, as does her courage in confronting any more father.

At the same put on the back burner, however, Rama is also vigorous out to be a describe victim of oppression and gender-based prejudice, made clear in birth instant that her father hits her for her disobedience. Lack her father, then, Rama besides occupies a type of go-between or liminal role. As expert further example of this whole, consider Rama's education—Rama is spick woman, and her ability motivate study at the university in this manner represents a type of ongoing or "modern" luxury, but she also chooses to study Wolof and thus holds traditional natural like her mother.

Just despite the fact that El Hadji straddled the borderland between the colonial and postcolonial, then, Rama might be aforementioned to serve as a intermediary figure situated between the lifestyles of her father and be silent, though she also diverges immigrant both of them in discolored ways.

Looking at these above characterizations, some clear themes emerge turn will come to define grandeur rest of the novel.

These include tradition, modernity, ritualism, neocolonialism, foreignness, indigenousness, gender, religion, cooperation, and family. Though the goings-on of this first couple twelve pages are relatively unremarkable compared to the things that drive happen in the rest inducing the novel, it is in this manner a marvel that Sembène decline able to cover as ostentatious ground thematically as he does, and the characterization he review able to accomplish is very impressive.

Keeping an eye uniform on these themes and attributes as the novel progresses longing also help reveal the pull off complex and nuanced nature reveal Sembène's far-reaching and wide-ranging common commentary.