This book felt…heavy (ᵕ ◞ _◟) all the way from beginning to end. It was hard seeing the tone and voice of José change as he aged and realised more of the systems in the world that worked against him. It was even harder seeing him recognise the enormous amount of effort M’man Tine and M’man Delia put in to raise him and support his education, and form the goal of being able to provide for them in return.
That was what stood out the most: M’man Tine’s efforts. She may have been harsh and displayed what we consider signs of affection very sparingly, but her love for José and pride for his achievements shine through. She refused to put both Delia and José in the petite bande, instead hoping for them to have a future outside of working on the plantation. She constantly wishes she could do more for José, and is so, so happy when he does well. Her asking him about what he learned and wanting him to read to her really warmed my heart ｡°(°.◜ᯅ◝°)°｡
Yet, at the same time, him being in this education system does not feel completely hopeful. It is bleak, with many struggles pit against him, like when he receives a scholarship that is nowhere near enough to relieve any financial stress (¬`‸´¬) At the lycée, he’s put in a very foreign environment, where the differences between him and his classmates have never been more apparent. For them, this may simply be an education, whereas for José, it’s the only way for him to rise up above what he would have been confined in by society. There doesn’t seem to be another path.
(Also, when M’man Delia says that they will not be going back to Petit-Bourg, my first thought was that M’man Tine had passed away, and that they did not want to tell José in fear that it would impact his performance at school even more. So imagine my relief when it turns out that this wasn’t the case! Perhaps this reveals more about me, for education was also viewed very highly by my family and those around me, to the point where hiding a loved one’s death was justified, all in the name of doing well at school. More generally, the emphasis on education just felt very relatable as a result.)
In the videos, José losing touch with his roots as a result of participating in this education system is very interesting to me. What do you think is the resulting emotional turmoil because of this distance from his beginnings are? (I hear there is a second book!)
I’m really looking forward to our discussions on this ◝(ᵔᗜᵔ)◜
See you tomorrow!
Julie ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ
2 replies on “Zobel – undying sacrifice, all for education”
“At the lycée, he’s put in a very foreign environment, where the differences between him and his classmates have never been more apparent”. Throughout the novel, we’ve seen visible signs of the differences between José and those around him, and how, in a society marked by colonialism, these signs serve to further divide and stratify people. As you say, there are many points to discuss tomorrow (today, haha)!
I like how you spoke about education serving a purpose of both liberation and alienation since its something I thought about too while reading the book! Jose’s upward mobility really does cost him feeling quite distanced from the community that he grew up in.