A Bend In The River

            Within the beginning of the novel I was reminded of a few of the other books we have read previously in the semester. The focus on time has been a central theme within many of the books. In “ A Bend in the River” Salim presents Africa as if it is outside of time he describes the blending of past events with one another until it is impossible to tell which one came before the other, and says that Africa has been ruled by Arabs and then Europeans yet remains the same.

            The main link I thought of was between Salim and the Magistrate in “Waiting for the Barbarians”.  Both men are in the middle of the situation with their hands holding onto both sides, unable to devote himself to one or the other. Salim says that the Europeans not only want slaves and gold, but also to have statues put up of them as people who had done good things for the slaves.

            Then he says that slavery on the east coast was different for they had domestic servants “protection of a foreign family was preferable to being alone among the strange and unfriendly Africans” within this he is saying Africans are afraid of other Africans. This contrasts with what he said about Zabeth, how she was safe in her village, and that leaving it was dangerous.

            When he talks about the slaves that his family had, he is convinced that they wanted to be there. Many times he makes it seems as if his family was doing the slaves a favor “We were stuck with them” “The slaves could take over…” “The slaves have swamped the masters” etc. It could be seen as a toned down version of the European lie he is upset about.

            Parts of “A Bend in the River” also reminds me of Siddhartha whenever Salim describes his family. The first look the reader gets at his family is when Salim discusses their religious ways, and the overall life they lead, in a disparaging tone. “To stay with my community…was to be taken with them to destruction” “I wanted to break away”.