Summary
ENG1501 When Rain Clouds Gather Summary
- Institution
- University Of South Africa (Unisa)
Summary of When Rain Clouds Gather Summary in preparation for the exam for ENG1501 - Foundations In English Literary Studies
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When Rain Clouds Gather (Bessie Head)Definitions:
Novel: an extended piece of narrative prose, made up or invented. Even though there might be points
of similarity, the events in the story are not factually or historically true.
Autobiography: writing about the self.
Genre:
Literary forms, and the three main categories are poetry, drama and narrative (short story or novel).
The core or essence of the novel as narrative, which is a mode of story-telling involving a series of
episodes/incidents/events/happenings that are held together by one main character, known as the
protagonist.
Setting: the time and place in which the action of a story takes place. Thus the setting of a novel
would require us to think about things such the social, historical and political background in which the
story is placed.
The setting of When Rain Clouds Gather is the village of Golema Mmidi in Botswana.
Plot: the sequence or series of events as arranged and narrated by the author.
What is important to note about plot is that, as you read the story, you should be on the lookout for
the tension or conflict that often lies at the core of the story. This conflict is the force against which
the main character is opposed, and which provides the starting point for the action. In other words,
conflict in a story is what galvanises the main character into action.
Character:
(i) Character refers to people or animals in the story.
(ii) Character (characterisation) relates to the nature, qualities, or characteristics of the
people (the fictional characters) in the story. For any story to be credible, authors invest
their characters with human qualities. This explains why we enjoy reading literature or
fiction in general, because we identify or empathise with the characters, dislike or even
loathe them.
Theme: the theme of a work is its main idea or message. A novel’s theme can be stated directly
(explicitly) or indirectly (say, through symbolism).
The main characters in the novel
Makhaya: a young South African Zulu man and political prisoner. He is frustrated with the
unbearable conditions of apartheid and leaves South Africa for Botswana.
He takes refuge in the community or village of Golema Mmidi. There he joins a group of refugees and
exiles and becomes actively involved in the activities of an agricultural cooperative which is run by
the local people, the most influential one being Gilbert Balfour, who becomes Makhaya’s close
friend.
It is in this village that Makhaya begins to get a sense of perspective and to achieve a measure of
clarity on a range of issues, including power, race and oppression, which are the source of his inner
turmoil and isolation.
Makhaya finds joy and fulfilment in the friendship with Gilbert, in his relationship with Paulina, to
whom he proposes marriage, as well as in the success of the cooperative’s farming activities, which
transform the lives of both the refugees and the local people. In a sense, this success provides the
healing process that Makhaya needs in order to forget the pain and inner turmoil engendered by
apartheid. But his healing is fully realised, not only through his readiness to teach the women
, tobacco farming for a higher quality of life in the semi-desert conditions, but also in his lasting
relationship with Paulina.
Bessie Head is, in a way, fictionalising her life and writing her autobiography.
The following pages in the novel provide some reflections by the main character about his personal
turmoil and a deep sense of loneliness:
1. his reference to why he could not marry in South Africa (p. 11).
2. his reason for coming to Botswana (p. 12).
3. what he is seeking in Botswana (p.15)
4. what he calls himself, and the significance of the name (p. 133)
5. The treatment he received (p. 134) and his reasons for his hatred of whites (p. 139).
But thanks to the community of Golema Mmidi, Makhaya’s pent-up anger and violence begins to
change over time, being replaced with an overlay of feelings of kindness. Makhaya is full of optimism
as he begins to acknowledge and appreciate human relationships in all their varieties and
complexities.
Gilbert Balfour, is portrayed as a practical man with no pretensions, who is prepared to be of service
to his fellow human beings. Fully aware of the needs of Golema Mmidi village, he seeks to initiate
cooperative farming methods in the village, and the methods show potential for success. A
committed optimist, he lives just like local people and ensures that, in this cooperative farming
project, emphasis is placed on growing cash crops and sinking boreholes (to cope with the inevitable
water shortages during spells of drought). He even marries a local woman by the name of Maria,
Dinorego’s daughter.
Chief Matenge, who represents “Old Africa” at its worst – moral degeneration. Compare Chief
Matenge with Paramount Chief Sekoto in the novel. Bessie Head presents Chief Matenge as a villain,
a bad person, as he is openly corrupt and has a tendency to tribalism – characteristics that disrupt
the harmony of the otherwise peaceful community. Traditional norms are being eroded by tribalism,
with men making women pregnant but unable to care for the children who are born from such
loveless liaisons, and thus leaving the lonely women saddled with all sorts of hardships as they raise
the children alone.
Tribalism: the practice of advancing one’s own tribe above others, or judging other people on the
basis of their tribal origins.
George Appleby-Smith – a white police officer (a special immigration officer) who secures
permanent residence for Makhaya in Botswana. Like Gilbert and Makhaya, George is also an exile
who is convinced about the certainty of self-government, and so he is always on the side of the
oppressed.
Old man Dinorego and old woman Mma-Millipede: Almost a godfather and spiritual leader of the
community of Golema Mmidi, Dinorego leads Makhaya to his tiny village, while Mma-Millipede is a
gracious woman (Dinorego’s counterfoil) who gives peace to Makhaya’s tortured and troubled soul
and ensures that Paulina does not give him trouble.
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