We Need New Names Literary Elements

Fiction, Coming-of-Age

Zimbabwe and United States, 1990s - 2000s

First-person narration by Darling

Observant, playful

Protagonist: Darling

Darling must come to terms with what it means to be Zimbabwean while living in poverty as a child and grappling with American culture as a teen.

Chipo accuses Darling of not being Zimbabwean and of abandoning her country while talking over the phone.

Darling's struggles assimilating to American culture are foreshadowed in the chapter "How They Left" which discusses the exodus of many from Zimbabwe to unknown lands.

Bulawayo shows contemporary Zimbabwean history through the view of a child, which creates a muted effect for some of the political events Darling does not fully understand.

Religion and passages from the Bible are discussed often in the first half of the book, thanks to Mother of Bones's piety.

The novel is full of vivid imagery due to Darling's keen sense of observation. Images of food, religion, and games are especially vivid as seen through the eyes of a hungry, adventurous child.

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