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Themes and Analysis of "Rejection"

The short story 'Rejection' by Mariama Bâ explores themes of patriarchy, polygamy, and gender inequality through the experiences of a narrator whose husband, Modou, takes a second wife, Binetou. Set in late 1990s Dakar, Senegal, the narrative follows the emotional turmoil of the narrator as she grapples with betrayal and societal expectations. Ultimately, after Modou's death, she asserts her independence, rejecting the control of men in her life.

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1K views1 page

Themes and Analysis of "Rejection"

The short story 'Rejection' by Mariama Bâ explores themes of patriarchy, polygamy, and gender inequality through the experiences of a narrator whose husband, Modou, takes a second wife, Binetou. Set in late 1990s Dakar, Senegal, the narrative follows the emotional turmoil of the narrator as she grapples with betrayal and societal expectations. Ultimately, after Modou's death, she asserts her independence, rejecting the control of men in her life.

Uploaded by

hopemodise330
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

SHORT STORY CHART

TITLE: REJECTION AUTHOR: MARIAMA Bâ

Writer’s intention/ connection: Grew up in Senegal. Used her novels to speak out about patriarchal
society, polygamy and certain Muslim
Main/Major characters: Protagonist: (Main/good guy) Antagonist: (Causes conflict)
Narrator Narrator Modou (Narrator’s husband)
Tamsit (Modou’s brother)
Minor characters:
Daba (Narrator’s daughter), Binetou (Daba’s friend), Iman (Muslim
priest)
Setting: (Always discuss both Place: Dakar, Senegal (In the Time: Late 1990’s
place and time) narrator’s home)

Plot: Exposition: Starts the story with “My own crisis came”, showing she was happy before this. Daba
and Binetou studies at home. Binetou is poor but then gets an older man who buys her stuff.

Plot: Conflict (External) Plot: Conflict (Internal) Style:


Modou secretly dates and then Narrator’s internal conflict as she Mostly formal register.
takes Binetou as his second wife. tries to figure out what she did Use of dialogue: We get to know
wrong or why she was not good the narrator better by what she
enough. says.
Plot: Rising Action
Binetou’s relationship develops. She is pressured by her mother to marry the older man as she is
desperate for a better life. The narrator and Daba are concerned for Binetou not knowing that she is
dating Modou (the father/husband).

Plot: Climax/Turning Point


The 3 men: Tamsir, Mawdo and the Iman, tell the narrator her husband had married someone else and
would be living with his new bride. Narrator world is shaken as she hears her husband married Binetou.
The men expect her to just accept it as it is a custom in their religion.
Plot: Falling action/Anti-climax
Narrator stays married to her husband despite Daba’s plea to divorce him. Experience inner conflict
about not being enough for her husband.

Plot: Resolution
Modou dies. The 3 men visit her again and Tamsir said he will take her as his wife now. She finally gets
a chance to speak up for her herself and makes it clear no man will ever again tell her what to do. She
will decide how to live her life.
Role of the narrator:
First person narrator writing a letter to a friend relaying the story of what happened to her. Round
character and we get to know about her inner and outer conflicts and how everything affected her.
Themes and messages Tone : Gloomy/Depressed
Cultural/Religious practices (More than one wife/Brother takes your (Narrator in beginning)
wife is you die). Enraged (at the end)
Broken relationship (Narrator and Modou, Daba and friend) Cheerful (Binetou)
Betrayal (Secret relationship) Mood: Sad, angry, emotional
Gender inequalities/Patriarchy (Men decide everything) (beginning)
Abuse (Binetou’s mother forcing her to marry) Happy, optimistic (end)
Poverty (Marrying for money, better life)
Ironic twist / ending
Twist (Modou being Binetou’s sugar-daddy)

Figurative language / figures of speech (e.g. simile, metaphor, personification, alliteration,


onomatopoeia, hyperbole, contrast, irony, sarcasm, euphemism, pun, understatement)
See notes – Simile, Metaphor, Hyperbole, Rhetorical question

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