A Bend in the River Literary Elements

Historical Fiction

Set in an unknown African country during the post-colonial period

First-Person Narration from the point of view of Salim

Pessimistic, disheartened, Nostalgic

Salim is the protagonist and the president of the unknown African country is the antagonist

The struggle between Salim and the oppressive political systems that threaten his community and his life is the story's main conflict. He is forced to flee his coastal home and relocate to an unnamed African country in the interior, where he becomes embroiled in the political turmoil of colonial rule and independence. He is torn between his community's loyalty and his desire to make a name for himself, and he is ultimately desperate to get out of the country. However, his attempts to flee are thwarted by the government's oppressive forces, and he is eventually arrested while trading illegal goods. He must then decide whether to accept a bribe or go to prison.

The story's climax occurs when Salim is arrested and brought before the President. Despite the President's well-documented antipathy toward foreigners, Salim is not punished or deported. Instead, the President appoints Salim as a special advisor on foreign affairs, and Salim uses his newfound position to help his family flee from the coast to the interior. The story's climax is a personal triumph for Salim, who has found a way out of his dangerous situation and used his knowledge and connections to secure a better future for himself and his family.

The author's description of Ferdinand's behavior foreshadows the conflict between Salim and Ferdinand. He is described as having "distant and slightly mocking" eyes, indicating that he does not take his mother's request to be protected by Salim seriously. He also skips the traditional reverence of going down on one knee, instead pretending to be scratched, which could be interpreted as a lack of respect for Salim. This foreshadows a potential conflict between Ferdinand and Salim, as Ferdinand may not follow Salim's instructions and act in a way that Salim considers appropriate.

The narrator uses understatement when discussing his family's acceptance of the slave trade. His grandfather's slave trading was just "something unusual he had done," and his family's slave families were "only servants" who "wanted it known—to other Africans and poor Arabs and Indians—that they were really slaves." This understatement reflects how his family did not address the moral implications of their dealings and simply accepted it as a way of life, without questioning why it was wrong. Furthermore, the narrator's emphasis on the physical and psychological aspects of slavery, as well as his family's acceptance of it, reflects a resignation, as if to say that this is simply the way things are and nothing can be done to change it.

The novel refers to the Arabian Nights, a collection of folk tales from the Middle East and South Asia. This allusion emphasizes the exotic setting of the narrator's story, as well as the sense of timelessness and tradition it conveys. This allusion is used to illustrate the long-standing cultural tradition of slavery in Africa, as in the narrator's grandfather's story of shipping slaves as a cargo of rubber. Furthermore, the reference to Arabian Nights is a subtle dig at the exoticism of Africa's east coast, with its "picture-postcard setting of beach and coconut trees." By bringing up the Arabian Nights, the narrator is subtly connecting the east coast of Africa with the Middle East and South Asia and emphasizing its unique cultural heritage.

This novel's imagery paints a vivid picture of the setting, characters, and emotions. The author employs imagery to convey a sense of longing and nostalgia. For example, in the description of the river hyacinths, "They had spoken of blood during the days of the rebellion; on heavy afternoons of heat and glitter, they had spoken of experience without savour; white in moonlight, they had matched the mood of a particular evening. Now, lilac on bright green, they were discussing something, other people moving on "conveys a feeling of sadness and loss. The imagery aids the reader in comprehending the scene's emotional impact, as well as the passage of time and the inevitability of change.

The paradox in this excerpt is that the people of Africa's east coast had been ruled by Arabs, then Europeans, and were about to be ruled by Africans again, but they were still living in a world without true change. The fact that the people of the east coast still had slave families living in their compound, even though slavery had been outlawed by the Europeans, exemplifies this paradox. Despite changing political situations, the way of life on the coast had remained largely unchanged. The author also claims that the Europeans robbed the Arabs of their power and sense of identity, yet were still living in the same region and were indistinguishable from the Africans. This paradox is further highlighted by the fact that the people on the coast were unable to lie in the same way as the Europeans, yet were still being affected by the lies of the Europeans.

The passage contrasts and compares the two main characters, Zabeth and Ferdinand. Zabeth is said to avoid men and live a purely African life, whereas Ferdinand has lived in a mining town in the south and has been exposed to a more modern way of life. Ferdinand appears to be more accepting of traditional African customs, whereas Zabeth is determined for Ferdinand to be educated and embrace the outside world.

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The town where Ferdinand and Metty enjoy drinking beer, going to bars, and meeting women is described using personification. For example, Zabeth considers the town to be "corrupt and chaotic," and the town's "sexual casualness was part of the chaos and corruption of the place." This personification implies that the town is responsible for its inhabitants' actions and that it is somehow complicit in their actions.