Short Story 2:

Rejection
BY MARIAMA BA
Author – Mariama Ba

Writer and political activist Mariama Bâ was born in

1929 in Dakar, Senegal to a well-to-do family. Her
father worked in the French colonial administration
and in 1956 became the Minister of Health of
Senegal. Her mother died when she was young.

Bâ was raised by her maternal grandparents who

emphasized conservative Muslim values. She
attended a religious school, but was also educated
in the French tradition.
More about the author…

 Due to the intervention of her father, she was enrolled in 1943 in

the Ecole Normale (Teacher Training School) at Rufisque, a town
some 25 miles away from Dakar where she received her diploma
in 1947. Bâ worked as a teacher from 1947 to 1959, before
becoming an academic inspector. During this period, Bâ had nine
children with her husband, Obeye Diop. The couple separated
and Bâ was forced to raise her children as a single parent.
 Her frustration with the fate of African woman is expressed in her
first novel, “So Long a Letter”. In this semi-autobiographical
epistolary (series of letters and poems and news articles), Ba
depicts the sorrow and resignation of a woman who must share
the mourning for her late husband with his second, younger wife.
1. Background and Setting:
The story takes place in Dakar,
Senegal. Most events take place in
the narrator’s home where she stays
with her family.

Women in Senegal face a

number of disparities in their
social status. Women have high
rates of illiteracy. They make up
less than 10% of the formal
labour force.
Polygyny /Polygane

 From ancient Greek : poly – many

gyny – woman

 The most common and accepted form

of polygamy around the world,
entailing the marriage of a man with
several women.
2.1 Characters
 Narrator – first person (written the letter to a friend - Aissatou)
- wife of Modou
- mother of 12 children
- live a wealthy life

 Modou – husband of 25 years

- “sugar-daddy”, pot-belly

 Daba - daughter of Narrator and Modou

- best friend = Binetou

 Binetou - not wealthy, comes from poor family (wears faded cloths)
- confide in Daba about “marriage”, does not want to marry old man.
 2.2 Minor characters
 Aissatou - friend of narrator and went through the same crisis

 Tamsir - Brother of Modou, came to deliver the news of the

marriage
- wants to marry the narrator after mourning
husband’s death

 Mawdo - Faithful friend to Modou and Narrator

- according to custom can also inherit “the wife”

 Imam - an Islamic spiritual leader - mosque

3. THEMES:
3.1 Cultural and religious
practices
 In this short story, the narrator, an Islamic wife,
submits to her cultural values. At the beginning,
she enjoys being the only wife, but a crisis
erupts when a second wife joins in the marriage
without any consultation. She hates the fact
that she must pretend to be happy and support
the young second wife. Her feelings are not
considered by her in-laws, especially Tamsir,
who announces his intention to marry her after
the 40th day of mourning her late husband.
3. 2 Broken Relationships
 The narrator’s relationship with her husband,
Modou, is shaken when he takes a second wife
without consulting her. The family expects her to
accept the new living arrangement of being left
alone at times. The narrator’s daughter, Daba and
Binetou’s relationship ends when Binetou marries
Daba’s father and becomes his second wife/ her
stepmom.
 The narrator’s relationship with her in-laws is
shaken when she openly refuses Tamsir’s intention
to marry her after Modou’s passing.
3. 3 Betrayal

 The narrator feels betrayed by her life partner,

Modou, who takes a second wife without
consulting her. She is expected to accept
without questioning her husband.
 The narrator’s daughter, Daba feels betrayed by
her close friend, Binetou, who marries Daba’s
father as his second wife.
 Both the narrator and Daba feel betrayed by
Binetou whom they welcomed to their home to
do schoolwork.
3.4 Gender inequality/
Patriarchy
Modou and Tamsir dominate their marriages. They make decisions without
consulting their partners. Women in their lives are treated as objects and
their opinions do not count. Modou shows no respect to girls as he exploits
the young Binetou by making her his second wife.
 The role that women play in the story may also be significant as the
narrator is forced to accept the conditions she finds herself in. No longer is
she Modou’s only wife. She must share him with a younger and more
attractive woman.
 The marriage of Modou and Binetou also appears to have been a private
affair with the narrator’s children not in attendance. Possibly because
they would be like Daba and disagree with the marriage. Their own places
in the family hierarchy would also be at stake. Such is the gender
inequality that exits in the narrator’s home (and life).
 The end of the story is also interesting as the narrator finally finds her
voice albeit after Modou dies. She refuses to marry Tamsir and seeks to be
independent of any man.
3.5 Abuse
 Modou’s relationship with Binetou is inappropriate (going by western
standards) and if anything, Modou is taking advantage of Binetou. He
is over twice the age of Binetou and his daughter Daba is a friend and
the same age as Binetou. However Modou sees nothing wrong with
his relationship with Binetou, hence his desire to marry her.
 The new clothes that Modou buys Binetou may also be important
because in many ways Modou is bribing Binetou. Something that is
also noticeable by the fact that Modou promises to send Binetou’s
parents to Mecca. It is as though Binetou is easily impressed (or
bought) but it is also possible that Binetou lives in poverty and sees
Modou as her only way out of poverty.
3. 6 Poverty
 Binetou is exposed to poverty and ends up getting married to an
older man because he can provide for her and her mother.
 Binetou’s mother abuses her daughter when she begs her to marry
Modou. She sees Binetou’s marriage as a life changer and an
upgrade in social status.
4. Narrator

 The story is narrated from the first-person point of view in the

form of a letter/diary that is written to a friend.
 The narrator is an Islamic wife who enjoys her married life at the
beginning of the story. She is a round character as she
experiences both inner and outer conflicts. She tells the story of
how she experienced a crisis at home and eventually becomes a
bitter person.
5. Plot/ Summary
 Exposition: The narrator introduces the story with ‘MY OWN
CRISIS CAME’ which indicates that she has been living happily at
home. Binetou, Daba’s classmate (narrator’s daughter),
frequently visits the narrator’s house. She is described as young,
beautiful, evidently poor and she gets the attention of the
narrator’s husband.
 Rising Action: Binetou’s relationship with an old man
transforms her into a new person who wears expensive dresses.
The narrator’s daughter shares all her friend’s secrects with her
mother, including Binetou’s crisis of being courted by the ‘sugar
daddy’. Binetou gives in to the idea of marrying the old man
because her mother is desperate for a better life that will be
provided by the ‘sugar-daddy’.
 Climax: The arrival of the three men Tamsir, Mawdo and a
local spiritual group ‘Imam’ bring crisis to the narrator’s
world. She learns about her husband’s new wife, Binetou.
The narrator and her daughter’s worlds are shaken by the
news as they have never thought of Binetou’s ‘sugar daddy’
to be Modou (husband and father). They both feel
humiliated and powerless as they experience Modou’s
rejection.
 Resolution: The narrator finally gets a chance to unleash
her bottled anger on the 40th day of mourning her late
husband, Modou. Tamsir’s announcement on his intention to
marry her makes her speak her heart out. She deals with
the initial crisis, which is highlighted in the beginning of the
story. She stops taking the abuse and brings back her
power/ independence as a woman. Never again shall any
man decide on how she must live her life.
Questions:

1. Describe the setting of this short story.

2. Explain why the following statement is FALSE:
Modou has three wives.
3. What does this extract reveal about the speaker’s character?
Substantiate your answer.
4. One of the themes in this short story is broken relationships.
Discuss this theme by referring to the speaker and Daba.
Answers:

1. The story takes place in Dakar, Senegal. Most events take place
in the narrator’s home where she stays with her family.
2. Modou recently took his second wife/ Modou has two wives.
3. The speaker is humble/ submissive. She diligently attends to
household chores without complaints.
4. The speaker is a loving wife who trusts and cares for her
husband. Their relationship tumbles when the speaker discovers
that her husband has secretly married Binetou (as his second
wife). Daba and Binetou’s relationship ends when Daba finds out
that her father’s second wife/ step- mom is her close friend.