Summary — Chapter 16
Kumalo, who has begun to find his way around Johannesburg,
goes to Pimville on his own to visit Absalom’s girlfriend. She has
not heard the news about Absalom, and when Kumalo tells her, she
is devastated. Kumalo asks Absalom’s girlfriend if she still wishes
to marry Absalom, and though she says she does, she seems confused. Kumalo
presses her further, and she explains that her father left her mother
because her mother was always drunk. She disliked her mother’s new
boyfriend, so she ran away from home. Even though Absalom’s girlfriend
is still almost a child herself, she has had three lovers since
she left home. Her lovers, whom she calls “husbands,” have all been
arrested. Kumalo is angered by her promiscuity and harshly asks
her if she would accept him as a lover. Frightened and confused,
she says she would.
Shocked by her answer, Kumalo covers his face with his
hands, and she begins crying and lamenting. Ashamed of his behavior, Kumalo
comforts her and asks if she would like to come with him to Ndotsheni
and live with his family as their daughter. She gratefully responds
that she would and assures him that her only desire is a quiet life.
Kumalo is surprised to find himself laughing with pleasure, and
after making Absalom’s girlfriend promise to tell him if she ever
regrets her decision, he goes off to find her a new place to stay.
Summary — Chapter 17
Although Gertrude and Mrs. Lithebe get along, Mrs. Lithebe
worries that Gertrude has a strange carelessness about her and is
too friendly with strange men. Still, Mrs. Lithebe admires and respects Kumalo,
and she agrees to let Absalom’s girlfriend move in. Kumalo, ecstatic
with Mrs. Lithebe’s reply, plays with his nephew. Absalom’s girlfriend
moves in and behaves with appropriate modesty. One day, however,
Mrs. Lithebe comes upon Gertrude and Absalom’s girlfriend laughing
in a way she does not like. She calls Absalom’s girlfriend to her
and tells her that she must not laugh in this way, and the girl
immediately understands and agrees. Gertrude continues with her
strange behavior, though she now leaves Absalom’s girlfriend alone.
Kumalo goes to visit Absalom, who tells him that Absalom’s friends
are denying that they were in the house with Absalom. Absalom gradually
comes to agree with his father that his companions are not true
friends. Absalom is pleased, however, by the prospect of having
a lawyer, and he promises Kumalo that he will tell the lawyer nothing
but the truth. He is also happy with the arrangements Kumalo has
made for Absalom’s girlfriend. On his way out, Kumalo passes Absalom’s
lawyer, a dignified white man with the air of a “chief.”
Some time later, the lawyer, Mr. Carmichael, visits Kumalo
at the mission house. Absalom’s defense will be based on the truth,
he says, and he will need as much information about Absalom’s character
as possible. After Mr. Carmichael leaves, Kumalo frets about the
legal costs, but Father Vincent informs him that Mr. Carmichael will
take the case pro deo, or “for God”—meaning he
will take case for free.
Analysis — Book I: Chapters 16–17
Though their lives somewhat resemble each other’s, Absalom’s
girlfriend and Gertrude represent two distinct models of womanhood in
the novel. Whereas Gertrude, enmeshed in her seedy Johannesburg
life of prostitution and liquor-selling, is cynical, Absalom’s girlfriend,
who is young and unwise to the ways of the world, is optimistic.
This difference in attitude is reflected in their different reactions
to Kumalo’s invitation to return with him to Ndotsheni. Gertrude
initially turns down Kumalo’s invitation because she considers herself
too sinful. But Absalom’s girlfriend, who, like Gertrude, is promiscuous,
immediately accepts Kumalo’s offer because she attributes much of
her misfortune to the circumstances of her past and not to her own
actions. Gertrude sees no hope for her situation, while Absalom’s
girlfriend has complete faith, perhaps naïvely, that blessings such
as marriage and family can rehabilitate her.
