Rejection
by Mariama Bậ
Mariama Bậ (April 17, 1929 – August 17,1981) is a Senegalese author and feminist
who later became a teacher. Her two French novels were both translated into more
than a dozen languages. Born in Dakar, she was raised as a Muslim.
Her frustration with the fate of African women is expressed in her first novel, Une si
longue lettre (1979), translated into English as So Long a Letter.
Mariama Bâ used her novels to reveal the unjust treatment of women justified by a
patriarchal society, polygamous practices, and certain Muslim traditions.
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The narrator is an Islamic wife who takes care of her household and supports her
children’s education. She is a caring person who welcomes friends of her daughter,
Daba, when they come to study. Her husband, Modou, also shows interest in the
beautiful young girl, Binetou by sometimes taking her home after studying.
Binetou’s mother puts her under pressure to accept the old man’s hand in marriage.
Binetou is not excited about the marriage, but she submits to her mother’s plea and
agrees.
The three men break the news to the narrator that her husband has taken a second wife.
She is shocked about this news. She remains calm, while Daba is furious and feels
betrayed and humiliated by her father and friend.
After 40 days of mourning Modou’s death, Tamsir (Modou’s brother) announces his
intention to marry the narrator. She, for the first time, does not keep quiet but stands her
ground and rejects him in front of the other men.
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Rejection means the dismissal or refusal of a proposal or an idea. The story is about
the narrator, who at the end of the story, rejects the idea of marrying her late husband’s
brother. This rejection gives the narrator the power and a voice in a patriarchal society.
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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. Daba and Binetou’s relationship ends when Binetou marries
Daba’s father and becomes her stepmother. 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. 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 inequalities or 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.
3.5 Abuse
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.
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.
[Link] is the story told?
4.1 Setting
The story takes place in Dakar, Senegal in the late 1990s. Most events take place in the
narrator’s home where she stays with her family.
4.2 Structure and Plot Development
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 secrets with her
mother, including Binetou’s crisis of being courted by the ‘sugar-daddy’. Binetou has no
choice but to marry the old man because her mother is desperate for a better life that
will be provided by the ‘sugar-daddy’.
Climax
The three men: Tamsir, Mawdo and a local spiritual leader ‘Imam’ announce that the
narrator’s husband has married a 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 40 th day of
mourning her late husband, Modou. Tamsir’s announcement of his intention to marry
the narrator makes her speak 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. She decides that no man will ever decide how she
must live her life.
4.3 Characterisation
The narrator ● She is supportive. (She supports her daughter’s education.)
● She is brave/emotionally strong. (She puts on a brave face
though she is disappointed by her husband who marries a
younger wife.)
● She is calm. (She does not allow her husband’s betrayal to
get the better of her.)
● She is defiant/fearless. (She boldly displays her
independence from her in-laws and defies culture by refusing
to be inherited by Tamsir.)
Modou ● He is patriarchal. (He does not consult his wife before he
marries a young girl who is his daughter’s classmate.)
● He is secretive. (He marries a younger wife without informing
his wife, the narrator.)
● He is cunning/deceitful. (He uses his money to lure Binetou/
the poor girl into marrying him.)
Binetou ● She is insecure/shy. (Her poor background makes her feel
inferior.)
● She is untrustworthy. (She betrays her friend Daba when
she does not disclose the name of her ‘sugar-daddy’.)
● She is naive. (She gives in to her mother’s manipulation and
marries the ‘sugar-daddy’.)
Binetou’s mother ● She is manipulative. (She convinces her daughter to marry
an older man to improve her lifestyle.)
Tamsir ● He is supportive. (He supports his brother Modou when he
remarries.)
● He is opportunistic. (He tells the narrator that she is his
good luck charm.)
● He is brave. (He boldly tells the narrator about his intention
to marry her.)
Iman ● He is brave. (He is the one who is brave enough to break the
news about Modou’s wedding to the narrator.)
Daba ● She is caring. (She allows her friends to come and study at
her home.)
● She is supportive. (She supports Binetou when she tells her
about her relationship with a sugar-daddy. She seeks advice
from her mother on behalf of Binetou.)
● She is protective. (She openly shows her fury towards Binetou
who marries her father.)
4.4 Narrator’s point of view
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.
4.5 Style
A formal register is mostly used in the story. There is some dialogue within the story to
portray the character's feelings/emotions. The dialogue brings the story to life. The reader
gets to know the characters better through what they say. The use of contractions also
brings an informal register, especially when the narrator speaks to her daughter and
Aissatou (the friend to whom she is writing the letter.)
4.6 Diction and figurative language
● The writer uses figurative language in order to emphasise meaning.
● Some examples of figures of speech in the story include:
SIMILE:
o ‘just like laurels thrown at the feet of my lord and master.’ (Page 57)
The narrator compares the pride resulting from the success of her children at
school to praises/accolades given to her husband.
METAPHOR:
o ‘I asked with the cry of a hunted beast’ (Page 53)
The narrator’s behaviour resembles how prey would cry for help.
o ‘the words were glowing embers in his mouth’ (Page 53)
The narrator describes the speed of Iman's explanation of the status quo to get rid
of something that causes unbearable pain.
o ‘I acquiesced under the drops of poison that were burning me.’ (Page 54)
o ‘was a lamb slaughtered on the altar of affluence’ (Page 55)
HYPERBOLE:
o ‘I acquiesced under the drops of poison that were burning me’ (Page 54)
The narrator exaggerates her accepted shock/heartbreak/pain with dripping poison
that hurts.
RHETORICAL QUESTION:
o ‘But what can a child do, faced with a furious mother shouting about her
hunger and her thirst to live?’ (Page 55)
The narrator questions Binetou’s opinion about the marriage though she knows that
Binetou has little say in the matter.
4.7 Tone and Mood
Tone:
● Gloomy/Downhearted/Depressed: The narrator uses this tone when the
story begins. Her first words in the story ‘MY OWN CRISIS CAME…’ create a
melancholic atmosphere.
● Enraged: Daba is furious at his father Modou who took her close friend
/classmate to be his second wife.
● Cheerful: Binetou changes from being a shy girl to being lively after getting
an old man who bought her expensive clothes.
The tone becomes exciting when she thinks she is in control of the situation.
Mood:
● sad, angry, emotional (initially)
● happy, optimistic (at the end)
Activity 2
‘Rejection’
Read the following extract and answer the questions which follow:
I acquiesced under the drops of poison that were burning me: ‘A quarter of a
century of marriage’, ‘a wife unparalleled’. I counted backwards to determine where
the break in the thread had occurred from which everything had unwound. My
mother’s words came back to me: ‘Too perfect. …’ I completed at last my mother’s
thought with the end of the dictum: ‘… to be honest’. I thought of the first two incisors 5
with a wide gap between them, the sign of the primacy of love in the individual. I
thought of his absence, all day long. He had simply said: ‘Don’t expect me for lunch.’
I thought of other absences, quite frequent these days, crudely clarified today yet
well hidden yesterday under the guise of trade union meetings. He was also on a
strict diet, ‘to break the stomach’s egg,’ he would say laughingly, this egg that 10
announced old age.
Every night when he went out he would unfold and try on several of his suits
before settling on one. The others, impatiently rejected, would slip to the floor. I
would have to fold them again and put them back in their places; and this extra work,
I discovered, I was doing only to help him in his effort to be elegant in his seduction 15
of another woman.
I forced myself to check my agitation.
2.1 Choose a description from COLUMN B that matches the name in COLUMN B. Write
only the letter (A-E) next to the question
Numbers (2.1(a) to (2.1(d) in the ANSWER BOOK.
COLUMN A COLUMN B
(a) Modou A the narrator’s daughter
(b) Binetou B Modou’s brother
(c) Daba C Tamsir’s second wife
(d) Tamsir D the sugar-daddy
E Modou’s second wife
4X1 (4)
2.2 Describe the setting of this extract. (2)
2.3 Refer to line 1 (‘I acquiesced under … were burning me’).
(a) Identify a figure of speech in this line. (1)
(b) Explain why this figure of speech is relevant in this extract. (2)
2.4 Explain why the following statement is FALSE:
The narrator and Modou have been married for 10 years. (1)
2.5 Refer to lines 8-9 (‘He had simply… me for lunch’).
(a) What tone would Modou use in these lines? (1)
(b) Why would Modou use this tone? (1)
2.6 What does this extract reveal about the narrator’s character?
Substantiate your answer. (2)
2.7 One of the themes in this short story is broken relationships.
Discuss this theme by referring to the speaker and Daba. (3)
Suggested answers to Activity 2
2.1 (a) D/the sugar-daddy
(b) E/Modou’s second wife
(c) A/the narrator’s daughter
(d) B/Modou’s brother (4)
2.2
Modou’s house/home, after his wife gets disturbing news about her husband’s marriage to Binetou.
(2)
2.3 (a) metaphor/hyperbole (1)
(b)
The narrator compares her acceptance of the (shocking) news with dripping poison which slow
OR
The narrator exaggerates her acceptance of the shocking news to be like poison.
(2)
2.4 They have been married for 25 years/quarter of a century. (1)
2.5 (a) arrogant/cold (1)
(b)
Modou is just stating a fact and is not bothered how his words are received by his wife.
(1)
2.6 The narrator is humble/submissive.
She diligently attends to household chores without complaining. (2)
2.7 The discussion of the theme of broken relationships should include the following
points, among others:
● The narrator is a loving wife who does not receive the same affection from
her husband.
● The couple’s relationship tumbles when the narrator 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 is her closest friend.
NOTE: For full marks, the response must be well-substantiated. You can score 1 or 2 marks
for a response which is not well-substantiated. Your interpretation must be grounded
in the short story. (3)