When rain clouds gather: Chapter 8

Chapter 8
Importance of chapter 8 The start of the tobacco growing project Development in the relationship between Makhaya and Paulina The introduction of Isaac, Paulinas son.

Summary It is the day after Marias and Gilberts wedding Paulina has been informed of the tobacco growing project by Mma-Millipede and is in a state of excitement as she is going to work with Makhaya Ten women are willing to work on the project while the others are waiting for their husbands approval. They all assemble in Paulinas yard before going to the farm They come across Maria, whom they note has changed since her marriage and whom they tease Makhaya comes and teaches them how to cultivate tobacco. Tobacco will be cultivated on Paulinas land since she lives closest to the farm Makhaya remembers Paulina and the incident with her, which causes the latter to be embarrassed. While looking for a convenient site to build the shed, Makhaya comes across a model village being built by Paulinas daughter, Loreta. They all start building the shed, where tobacco leaves will be dried and preserved. Paulina tries to embarrass Makhaya for not liking goat meat and sour-milk porridge. But Makhaya manages to turn her words to his advantage and at the same time manages to win the approval of the other women. He is questioned about his life in South Africa. Paulina studies Makhaya and his feelings for him. The shed is nearly completed. Makhaya makes model trees for Paulinas daughters model village. Gilbert comes to inspect the work that has been done. He has further plans to develop the village. There are some hostile talks between Maria and Paulina. Gilbert realises that Paulina likes Makhaya. He suggests that Paulina and the other women be paid for growing tobacco. Paulinas son, Isaac, who is alone at a cattle-post is ill. Paulina believes he is suffering from a cold and makes a cap for him. The chapter ends on the very ill Isaac, who is not suffering from a cold but from tuberculosis.

Analysis Characterisation Paulina Paulina arouses different emotions in the readers in this chapter: a mixture of sympathy, pity, incomprehension, surprise, admiration... This is because the readers are exposed to different aspects of her character.

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Paulina has been rendered humane by Bessie Head and her character has been infused with realism. Paulina is noted for her big, bold eyes and her brightly coloured skirt. Paulina is portrayed as a figure of authority and respect in this chapter. It seems that she is a natural leader and the women look up to her. It is she who leads the group of women to the farm. Paulina taking the lead as she always and automatically did. (p. 109) She also signals them when to stop working for lunch by dropp[ing] her spade to the ground as a signal to the other women to stop work. (p.113) Paulinas dominating personality has been mentioned by Head in Chapter 6 with her personality likened to that of Dinorego and has been explained in Chapter 7. (p.95) However, it is surprising as Paulina has not been living in the village for a long time. Paulina Sebeso was quite a newcomer to the village, having lived there for not more than a year and a half... (p.76) Even Gilbert, who does not know her can see that she has a powerful and alert personality (p.120) It seems that Paulina does not get along with Maria. It is revealed that she has never considered Maria as one of them. (p. 121) There is an undercurrent of jealousy and rivalry between them. In Chapter 7, we learn that Paulina is envious of Marias strange, unfathomable personality (p.97) and earlier, Paulina feared that Makhaya was interested in Maria. In fact, Maria too seems to be having similar thoughts to Paulina. Here, she is afraid that Gilbert might like Paulinas personality. In spite of being husbandless and having a dominating personality, Paulina shocks us by finding it normal to be treated as inferior by men. The readers would have thought that a woman like Paulina would not let herself be viewed as not equal to men. However, she does not think differently to the other women, most probably due to her upbringing. ...including Paulina...They were unaccustomed to a man speaking to them as an equal. At the beginning of the chapter, Paulina surprises us with her behaviour. She acts like a lovesick teenager and has to be reprimanded by Mma-Millipede. Also, later she steals glances at Makhaya while they are working. (p. 113) This behaviour brings humour and also attracts our sympathy. At the same time, it also lends a certain vulnerability to her. Paulina is deeply embarrassed when Makhaya seems to recognise her. She is even more embarrassed when he asks her about her daughter. This is because her pride and ego was affected when Makhaya had refused to sleep with her. (p. 79) However, the shame she feels arouses our sympathy for she had acted impulsively. On the other hand, she appears to be immature and childish when she tries to get back at Makhaya. She tries to undermine and humiliate him in front of the others when she plays on the fact that he does not like goat meat and sour milk porridge. Thus, she comes across as someone proud, egotistical (big ego) and full of herself in this chapter. She is aware that she has an inflated idea of her own importance and after some thinking she feels less sure that everything in the world ought to belong to her (p. 117) It seems that there is an internal fight raging between her pride and ego and her feelings for Makhaya. She wants to dislike him. This is why she appears to be incensed (infuriated, angered) when Maria reveals that Makhaya like Gilbert does not like goat meat and sour milk porridge. (p.113) Head reveals that Paulina is physically and sexually attracted to Makhaya. It seems that being a physically alive woman and not having anyone to attend to her needs has made her become physically frustrated. (p. 116) However, she does not need Makhaya only as a means to end this physical frustration. Indeed, Paulina goes beyond Makhayas looks and her attraction for him. For instance, she notices the emptiness of his eyes and how they are acting like a barrier. She is struck by the way Makhaya

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seems to be unreachable. ...aware of the significance of that wall (p.115) She even chooses to stay in a corner away from him and examine him and her feelings for him rather than be with the group of women indirectly flirting with him by questioning him. Furthermore, she is drawn to his reserved personality and the quiet about him. (p.116) She is almost jealous of the other women Makhaya has previously known, more so, as the women were more sophisticated than the women in Golema Mmidi. Since Makhaya cares about his appearance, she expects him to give importance to women who do the same. Thus, she is surprised that Makhaya interacts with the women in Golema Mmidi in such a natural way although they are not sophisticated and are different to women he has previously known. (p. 117) Paulina does not understand Makhayas behaviour with the women (he is treating them as equals) and deduces (incorrectly?) that he has no feeling (p.117) This causes her to keep a hold on her feelings and she reaches the conclusion that Mma-Millipede is right: Makhaya is a rather complex character that needs to be studied. The way Paulina studies her feelings and Makhaya and the way she decides to control herself and her feelings for him, shows that she can also be mature and wise. The chapter also shows that Paulina is possessive. Even if she is craving for someone to fulfil her sexual needs, she does not take any man from the village as her lover. She wants a man for herself and not someone she would have to share with the other women. This is one reason why she has no lovers in the village. Paulina is touched when Makhaya adds trees to her daughters model village. This act seems to subdue her and seems to create respect for Makhaya. There is even a change in the way she addresses him for she talks to him barely above a whisper and with a very polite tone. (p. 117) Paulina considers herself to be one of the bravest women in the village, equating it with drinking beer and smoking cigarettes. Indirectly, she wishes to show that she is not afraid of anyone. Paulina draws our compassion when she wonders why Makhaya would love her. She seems so different from the proud and egotistical woman she usually is. Who was she after all to imagine that such a strange and complex man like Makhaya would love her? Head further elicits our pity when Paulinas loneliness is revealed. (p. 124) Paulina leads a very lonely life with just her daughter. She has no husband and no relatives and had to send her son to a far-away cattle post in spite of herself. Even without any emotional support, she has to be strong for the sake of her children and for herself. Paulinas relationship with her daughter, Loreta is explored at the end of the chapter. They share a close relationship. We can see Paulina teasing her daughter and even taking pleasure in embarrassing her. This brings relief and lightens the atmosphere until the daughter reveals that Isaac is ill. Paulina loves her son and feels guilty about having had to send him to a far away cattle post. She does not eat her food and falls into a brooding silence. (p. 125) She quickly makes a cap for him. She also cares for her daughters feelings and feels bad that she may have hurt the latters feelings by making the cap herself. Paulina is an admirable woman as even though she feels like crying, she cannot do so. She cannot afford to break down, fearing that it may affect her tenacity. She keeps her feelings inside and tries to be strong. We pity her even more when the author reveals that Isaac is very ill with tuberculosis and does not have a cold like his mother seems to believe. Paulina may have sent her son all alone there but we cannot blame her. Note how Isaacs illness is revealed at the very end. This creates tension and a sense of foreboding. Note also how the atmosphere abruptly changes.

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Maria Maria is very caring and generous. She works with the other women on the tobacco-growing project as she wants her father to benefit from it. It is a selfless act. She also prepares food for Makhaya, even without having been told so. Unlike Paulina, she does not make anything of the fact that Gilbert and Makhaya do not like goat meat and sour-milk porridge. She is probably more tolerant and more mature than Paulina. According to the women, Maria has changed after her marriage to Gilbert. She now appears to be calmer. She has probably acquired a new maturity and wisdom. However, she has not become conceited or proud. She could have, considering the fact that Gilbert is a wealthy, intelligent white man. She continues to work like the other women. Being one of the main female characters, it is evident that Maria will be compared to Paulina. Here, we can see that Maria is not aggressive as Paulina. She avoids fighting with the latter. ...walked away quickly, as she disliked a word battle with Paulina..... However, she gets back at Paulina when she denies smoking cigarettes and when she argues that smoking and drinking are not linked to bravery. She is not considered as a part of them (p.121) according to Paulina. Indeed, it seems that she is viewed as an outsider even if she has been living in the village for longer than Paulina. In a way, she is suitable for Gilbert, who is also an outsider. Again according to Paulina, Maria had always lived her own life in which no one shared. Maria may be reserved and introverted and is not comfortable in the company of others. This further proves that Paulina is not tolerant of others and is even judgemental. It seems that Maria bears some sort of jealousy towards Paulina. She is afraid that Gilbert may like the qualities that Paulina has but she does not. (p. 122)

Makhaya The chapter reinforces Makhayas goodness in many ways. First of all, Makhaya gains our admiration through his equal treatment of the women. He does not consider them to be inferior to him like the other men do. This is not surprising as in Chapter 1 we have already been told that Makhaya is not a traditional Zulu. (p. 10) Makhaya is not only friendly but seems to possess the art of communicating. The way he interacts with people makes them feel comfortable. As Paulina notes, He could make people feel at ease. (p.110) At first Makhaya does not remember Paulina. He recognises her through her bold eyes and her brightly coloured skirt. When he remembers the incident with her, he does not try to embarrass her. He makes no reference to the incident and just questions her about her daughter because he likes children. Indeed, Makhaya is fond of children. This is evident in the way he looks at Loretas model village. a look of pure delight on his face (p. 112) He chooses a site far away from her model village to preserve it. He even makes trees for her and later tells her he will add grass to her village. This is quite surprising as he barely knows her. It is also so as Batswana men do not care about children. (p. 124) Makhaya can be said to be smart. He manages to get the better of Paulina by turning her words to his advantage. ...dont wash the worms for me. I wont notice them. (p.114) He manages to win the approval of the other women and bond with them at the same time. He is humble as he is not boastful about South Africa, which is more developed than Botswana. For him, it is just like Botswana, with the difference that it is controlled by the whites. He thus

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shows that he is still tormented by the discrimination and racism prevalent in his country. He still wishes for equality. In Paulinas words, he is reserved and quiet but also takes care of his appearance. According to Paulina, he must have spent much money on clothes in [Link]. He does not seem to differentiate between women in Botswana and the women he has encountered in South Africa. He interacts with them as if he has done this all his life (p. 117) He makes nothing of the fact that they are not dressed in pretty clothes, do not wear makeup and shoes. We can say that he is not a superficial/shallow man, giving importance to the outer appearance. Towards the end of the chapter, we can note Makhayas attraction to Paulina. He finds her beautiful but keeps that to himself. It seems that he will not change his attitude towards her. He will still treat her in the same way even if now he has started to feel attracted to her.

Gilbert Gilbert is a visionary/ utopist/ idealist. The shed for Gilbert is not only a place where tobacco will be dried and preserved but is a means for further development. He can see how the building of the shed will pave the way for water in Golema Mmidi. He imagines each house getting water through taps and the village being full of various types of trees. He imagines Golema Mmidi being turned into a paradise. (p.118) He does not only dream of monetary benefits but also about a better social and family life in the village. He is aware of the womens loneliness and hopes with more development in the village, the men will not have to go away. He is resourceful. He thinks of building polythene pit dams to collect water for the tobacco growing project. He makes the most of unlimited resources. Any other person would have been discouraged to make things happen in Golema Mmidi but not Gilbert. He is quick to notice that Paulina likes Makhaya. He sees through her and her feelings. He is aware of her importance in the village and is afraid that she may abandon the project due to Makhayas lack of interest in her. Intelligent, Gilbert suggests paying her and the other women for the work they are undertaking on the farm. Gilbert feels more Batswana than British. He feels that he belongs more to Botswana than to Britain and he even no longer thinks like a European. his whole outlook was entirely Botswana (p. 119) He knows that now there is no going back, so he is intent on making his stay in Botswana liveable by bringing changes to the village. He has dreams about Botswana in contrary to the villagers who have mentally fled from the village. But he is not judgemental about the villagers. He seems to understand their mental flight. It is to be noted that Gilbert is not treated as an outsider. He has assimilated the customs and traditions. The villagers treat him like one of them. For instance, Paulina invites him for tea, which is one of their customs.

Golema Mmidi Patriarchal society: Women have to seek their husbands permission before doing anything. For instance, the women had to obtain their husbands permission before working for Gilbert. they first had to get the permission of their husbands (p.108) Also, violence (wife-beating) is acceptable and is a normal occurrence. Paulina says, ...because they will be beaten by their husbands. (p. 121) Men & women: The women are hard working, even working harder than men. They even derive pleasure from working and this is equated to the pleasure that Western women obtain from

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organising tea parties. Their role is to provide food for the family. They can do everything, even ploughing the land, which is a mans job. However, they are not treated as equal, which is unfair. Indeed, they are thought to be inferior and are treated as such. It is implied that men talk to them in a condescending manner because they are surprised when Makhaya talks to them as equals. They were unaccustomed to a man speaking to them as an equal. (p. 110) It is not a conservative society. It seems that many men and women are engaged in extra marital affairs. Women even fight for men among themselves and there is no embarrassment about it. (p. 116) We learn that the men do not care about the children they father. They are very often absent father figures, being away at cattle posts. It is the women who have to take care of their children on their own. Women lead quite lonely lives with their husbands away. Since they cannot depend on the men, they have become strong. They take lovers just for entertainment. Sometimes, they have to send their young sons to cattle posts, like Paulina has done. Bessie Head creates pity and at the same time admiration for the women. They are all alone without the support of their husbands but still stay strong. Poverty: The poverty in which the villagers live is striking. They do not have electricity and water. Their diet is mainly goat meat and sour milk porridge. They can even eat rotten meat with worms in it as Paulina says. There are no trees and gardens in the village. The children do not have any toys to play with. Paulinas daughter plays with mud and builds a model village. The villagers do not have shoes, perfume, good clothes and make up. The people seem almost content to live in poverty. They are not ambitious and do not aim at getting rid of their poverty. They cultivate just 2 bags of corn for their consumption. They also live in tiny huts. It seems that they are not interested in Golema Mmidi. They prefer to work away from it, where there is some development.

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