My first and only experience with magic had left me with a sore eye and hands that throbbed from bad medicine. With my luck, I thought, they'll probably become infected and fall off. I began imagining myself a handless beggar in the market, unable to even use the bathroom.
During his early childhood, William has a bad experience with magic. This quote, taken from his saga of trying to attain manglomera, a kind of superhuman strength, demonstrates the fear and doubt that William has towards magic. Previously, he observed the effects of manglomera on Phiri, one of the seasonal workers on his family's farm. However, when Phiri's nephew Shabani administers the magic onto William himself, he experiences "sore eyes," a "throbbing" sensation, and the fear of losing his limbs. The fears that William has towards magic dissuades him from turning to that method of problem-solving in the future.
From the first time I heard the sounds coming from the radio, I wanted to know what was going on inside. I'd stare at the exposed circuit boards and wonder what all those wires did, why they were different colors, and where they all went. How did these wires and bits of plastic make it possible for a DJ in Blantyre to be speaking here in my home? How could music be playing on one end of the dial while the preacher spoke on the other? Who'd arranged them this way, and how did this person learn such wonderful knowledge?
This quote demonstrates William's curious nature and what he thinks of technology. The use of rhetorical questions serves to emphasize his inquisitiveness at the object in question, and places the reader into the same mindset of this child. Especially if the audience is used to the presence of radios, this quote allows the reader to understand what was so strange and wonderful about William's first exposure to them. The phrase "wonderful knowledge" expresses that awe most concretely, and where William's desire to know is represented most clearly. This quote also serves to foreshadow other, larger curiosities that William follows later. This scene establishes his character to the reader as a curious and knowledge-driven person, which explains many of his actions in the future.
For me, this turn of events was frightening. Our chief was like our father, the man who protected our small area and represented us to the rest of the country. When we heard he'd been beaten, it was as if we'd all been violated, our safety no longer guaranteed. If the government treated our dear leader in such a way, with the hunger bearing down, I wondered if we people would fare much better.
This quote comes right after Chief Wimbe, Gilbert's father and leader of the Wimbe area, is beaten by members of President Muluzi's retinue for asking for government aid. The entire country is currently undergoing a period of famine, and the people beseech Chief Wimbe to speak on their behalf and express their suffering to the leader of their nation. However, this quote expresses how thoroughly their morale is diminished because of the beating, and the president's refusal to acknowledge the struggles of his people. The use of the pronoun "we" indicates that the people of Wimbe think of themselves collectively under the jurisdiction of Chief Wimbe, and revere him immensely. After all, they see him "like our father," a caring and parental figure who is supposed to take care of the people. With this buffer to the rest of the world diminished, the troubles of the famine will truly begin to visit the common people. In addition, if their leader, a more powerful man than they, could be disregarded in such a manner, then how could they "fare much better"?
Famine arrived in Malawi. It fell upon us like the great plagues of Egypt I'd read about, swiftly and without rest. As if overnight, people's bodies began changing into horrible shapes. They were now scattered across the land by the thousands, scavenging the soil like animals. Far from home and away from their families, they began to die.
This quote shows the desperation and suffering that the people of Malawi experience during the famine of 2000. The description of the physicality of people gives the reader a visceral sense of the physical effects of hunger. Famine debases humans to shapes and forms on the same level as animals, losing all evidence of their humanity in their hunger. The mention of "the great plagues of Egypt [William] read about" is an allusion to the plagues in the Bible that God sent in Exodus 7:14-11:10, which consisted of several different ailments to Egypt. This reference gives the reader a frame of reference for the extent of the suffering that Malawians face during that time, and alludes to William's reading habits at the time as well. The tone of the quote is more poetic and vague, which allows the suffering to remain abstract for the reader. This effect is doubled by the use of the phrase "far away," as if the hunger is still far removed from William's context.
The rope hadn't budged. There'd been no struggle. A terrible thought suddenly occurred to me: When Khamba saw me leave, he'd given up his will to live. That meant I killed him.
This quote is a manifestation of William's guilt at killing his dog Khamba, who has been his companion for so long. He is forced to kill him, or rather leave him to die in the woods, by his cousin Charity and Charity's friend Mizeck. Though it is a small quote, it carries much weight with it, where William interprets Khamba's lack of resistance as evidence of his lack of a will to live. The short sentences of this quote emphasize the startled and shocked effect that this realization has on William. The extrapolation of "That I killed him" appears as a direct result of the other realization, making its effect on the reader just as monumental as the realization is to William.
No more skipping breakfast; no more dropping out of school. With a windmill, we'd finally release ourselves from the troubles of darkness and hunger. In Malawi, the wind was one of the few consistent things given to us by God, blowing in the treetops day and night. A windmill meant more than just power, it was freedom.
In this quote, William fantasizes about what it would be like to have a windmill, and what it might enable for his family and life. The problems of "darkness and hunger" would no longer plague them as before. This revelation is made clear in this quote as well with the repetition of "no." By referring to breakfast and school—two fairly mundane aspects of life in the Global North, but not in the Global South—the phrase emphasizes that they were previously lacking from William's life, and that the windmill represents a path to a higher quality of life. Additionally, this quote establishes William's character as a caring and community-oriented person with the "we" pronoun. He is first and foremost concerned with elevating the quality of life of his family and friends, and also the great Malawian community. He is committing himself to this project out of a desire to give back to his community and improve Malawi as a country in general.
When the work was finished, I took the bicycle back to my room and leaned it against the wall. I could see why people were saying it looked like a madman's creation: the shock absorber jutted out from the sprocket like the arm of a strange robot, its joint fused with melted, blackened steel. My blades stood nearby, tall and beautiful, their white surface scorched and bubbled like the skin of a burned marshmallow. There were bags of bolts and nails and globs of grease hanging off the bike chain. The tractor fan looked like a dazzling orange star that would soon spin through the darkness. I couldn't wait to put them all together.
This paragraph demonstrates to the reader the effort in scavenging and compiling that William undergoes to assemble the parts for his windmill, which is now nearly complete. This quote lists all of the disparate parts, noting simultaneously their beauty and their ramshackle nature. The reader gets the sense that, while these parts are "tall," "beautiful," and as "dazzling" as an "orange star," they are also covered in grease, resembling the skin of a "burned marshmallow," and generally evoking the idea of a "madman's creation." From this description, the reader can see why the neighborhood calls William a crazy person, but we also see William's deep love of these pieces of trash. They may be garbage to some, but with his ingenuity, he will transform them into something new and beautiful.
If the first people to experiment with great inventions such as radios, generators, or airplanes had been afraid of being arrested, we'd never be enjoying those things today.
"Let them come arrest me," I'd say. "It would be an honor."
This quote demonstrates William's maturity but also his enterprising spirit. He is confident enough in his abilities as an inventor to challenge all those that might oppose him. William compares the beauty of his windmill to essential inventions that have previously been established as essential parts of his life. Radios, for example, are cited as so integral to Malawian culture that they are considered "members of the family." Although generators and airplanes are not yet mentioned in this story with the same respect as radios, they are eventually established as items worthy of respect as William boards his first airplane in a few chapters.
Many of them knew what my windmill was actually for, and a lot of them had even stood in the line and charged their mobile phones. But pointing the blame at me helped them get over their fears about the upcoming famine. Luckily, not long after that, the government stepped in and released tons of maize on the market. A few months later, some aid agencies arrived and offered further assistance. No one starved or died. A catastrophe had been avoided, but still, it revealed the kind of backwardness in our people that really frustrates me.
Despite all of his efforts, the people of Malawi continue to treat William's windmill as an object of suspicion. This quote seems to suggest that the superstitious nature of the Malawian people only comes out when times are tough and they are seeking an object to blame. As the "upcoming famine" resolves with the intervention of government aid, the superstition fades. This "frustrates" William because all of his efforts to sensitize his people to the windmill are ultimately met with resistance. The "backwardness" of his people is especially frustrating because William's desire to build a windmill isn't to better himself individually, but rather to improve his country as a whole. This goal, combined with the people's unwavering suspicion whenever the slightest element of their lives goes wrong, makes it incredibly difficult for William to maintain his efforts.
"In science we invent and create," I said. "We make new things that can benefit our situation. If we can all invent something and put it to work, we can change Malawi."
This quote is the emotional heart of the story, where William explains to the people around him the power of science and what it can do for Malawi. William's community-oriented approach to invention and his inspirational words on change appeals to the wider public to take up action in the same way he does. Science, in his view, can be used to improve life in drastic ways if utilized correctly.
