Out of Africa Book Four, Farewell to the Farm: From "Farah and I Sell Out" to "Farewell" Summary & Analysis

The old Kikuyu men decide to hold a Ngoma dance to honor the narrator. A Ngoma with old men is a rare and notable occurrence. The government, however, has prohibited such Ngomas, which everyone seems to have forgotten. Old native men from all over appear dressed in their finest for the dance.

Just as everything is ready, a messenger from Nairobi arrives with a government order to cancel the Ngoma. The narrator feels bitterness such as she has never felt in Africa. There is confusion as the old native men look at her sadly. The narrator decides that the Ngoma is off. Everyone leaves despondently, and seem to remember that the colonial rule gives them few reasons to want to dance.

The narrator thinks that the old women on the farm may grieve the most at her leaving. They used to call her "Jerie," which is a common Kikuyu name for girls. The Kikuyu women have the most difficult life of anyone in Africa and are amazingly tough, stoic, and sturdy. She often has pictured their faces since leaving Africa.

The day that she must leave finally comes, as such a day must. The narrator says good-bye to everyone on the farm and drives slowly to Nairobi, stopping to look at the pond. Many European and Native friends have come to see her off at the train station. After many good-byes, she gets on the train.

At a station down the line, she and Farah walk out onto the platform and look back toward her home. She sees the Ngong Hills far away with the land leveling off all around it.

Analysis

These chapters bring the end of Out of Africa. They use a straightforward tone that borders on the melancholic, as the narrator describes her final efforts in Africa. The narrator does not frequently mention her own personal sadness in leaving, but makes it quite clear, primarily by moving very slowly through her activities. During most of the book, the narrative has moved quickly and jumped around—simply recalling specific stories and leaving many details cloudy. In these chapters, all details about life's ordinary, often- tedious activities are mentioned. As the narrator and Ingrid Lingstrom walk through the farm noting the objects that shall be lost, the reader basically becomes a partner to their stroll. When the narrator leaves on the train, the novel too shall close and we may feel similarly distressed at the prospect of leaving the lush landscape as the narrator.