I honestly can’t make up my mind about Tambu. I realize that some people may hate her, others are giving her a second chance, or maybe some are in my position of being indecisive. During the first hundred pages of “The Book of Not,” there is a split between what Tambu wants to say versus what she physical does. This rift between her body and mind seems to emulate her repressed identity. To me, the best example of this is the scene where Tambu holds on to Sister Catherine’s hand. “All that was happening was very terribly confusing, but she was my favorite nun. I felt something was terribly wrong, but I smiled at her tentatively, hopefully” (31).
At this point in the novel, I feel that there is still an African quality to Tambu; yet, she is becoming a more passive character than she was in “Nervous Conditions.” Then, when she becomes staunchly obsessed with unhu, I want to give up on her. She no longer questions rules placed upon her and she works so hard to become like the Europeans, whom she puts on a pedestal. On the other hand, again and again Tambu can never fully please anyone whether it is her family, the Sisters, or her dorm mates. In this position, Tambu is a model for colonizers because she is quietly submissive and self-loathing. As cliché as this may sound, until she gives up on this self-delusion, Tambu will never be satisfied and never progress to her full capabilities that she longed for in the early pages of “Nervous Conditions.”
I couldn't agree more. I think Tambu is completely delusional about the world she is living in. she cannot make her actions match her thoughts and when she does "stand up for herself" it is at the complete wrong time. She is following in the foot steps of the colonizers in order to be just like them. And I completely agree that there is still an African quality to her in this novel. She is still holding on to her family, trying to impress Babamukuru and all the while not pleasing anyone.
ReplyDeleteI think Tambu is experiencing anxiety attacks and she can not seem to control them. Everything is new to her and as a reader I just want her to see a THERAPIST. I feel she needs someone to talk to so that she can organize her thoughts with her mind. She needs someone she can vent to that understands the world she is living in. If she doesn't get control of herself, she will not amount up to her high expectations and could lose all that she has worked for.
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