passed-like-a-shadow
PASSED LIKE A SHADOW
AUTHOR: BERNARD MAPALALA
SETTING: WESTERN PART OF UGANDA
PUBLISHER: DAR-ES-SALAAM UNIVERSITY PRESS (DUP)
YEAR: 2006
This is a symbolic title which reflects the catastrophe that attacked the member of the two families, Adyeri‘s family and David‘s family. They all passed away like a vanishing shadow, except only one member of Adyeri‘s family (Abooki) who survived the pandemic.
• SETTING: The setting of novel ―PASSED LIKE A SHADOW‖ is Western part of Uganda. The book was written during the end of Tanzania and Uganda war (1979).
• PLOT: A chronological arrangement of events in the story. E.g. in ―Passed like a shadow‖ the first chapter of the novel introduces Atwoki and Abooki. In chapter six and seven we are introduced to Atwoki as a famous footballer. Adyeri is brought back home serious sick, after few days he passes away. Atwoki becomes a victim; he wishes to die in Kitagwenda. The plot of this book is straight - forward narration.
CHARACTERS AND CHARACTERIZATION
• Adyeri: He is the father of Atwoki and Abooki. He is a hot-tempered man and an irresponsible parent. He is a reputable womanizer. Due to his prostitution he is trapped by Birungi and at the end of the day he finds himself a victim. He passes away having passed through great suffering. His family isolates him and finds himself alone.
• Amoti: A short woman and very talkative. She is Atwoki and Abooki‘s mother. She has a bad heart and cannot forgive other people. A very responsible mother who fulfills her duty as the mother of the family. She is not faithful in her marriage.
• Atwoki: He is a talented footballer with expectations of becoming a superstar. He is a good lad and does not know the ways of the world. When he goes to Kampala he is disfigured or persuaded by David to start engaging in sexual affairs with girls. He is a kind boy and forgives easily unlike his mother. He becomes a victim of HIV /AIDS as a result of engaging with prostitutes or harlots e.g Edda
• Abooki: She is kind and an introvert. She takes care of her mother when she is seriously sick on bed. She is raped by John and loses her virginity. When she tests for HIV /AIDS and pregnancy, she has negative results. She is optimistic and a good adviser.
• Vicky:She is an orphan whose parents passed away long time ago. She tolerates mistreatment from her uncle and aunt but later on she runs away and got married to Aliganyira. She becomes a reputable prostitute as the result of peer pressure She is infected with HIV/AIDS and passes away. • Uncle Araali: He is a kind man who encourages Atwoki to be a great footballer in future. He welcomes Abooki and Atwoki to live with them.
• Aliganyira: He is Vicky‗s husband. He is a famous business man. He is famous and he is a womanizer. He is very superstitious. At the end, due to his prostitution he infects his wife (Vicky) with HIV.
• Tusiime and Kunihira: They are Vicky‘s friends. They are secondary school rejects. They are prostitutes who earn their daily bread through selling their bodies. They convince Vicky to sell her body since she is poor and receives unfair treatment from her uncle and aunt.
• David: Atwoki‘s friend in kampala. He is the only son from a rich family. He is a University reject. He is a reputable prostitute and when Atwoki visits him in kampala, he teaches him how to hunt for women. He infects girls expressively knowing that he is infected with HIV/AIDS. At the end, David‘s family perishes completely with HIV/AIDS.
• Edda: She is a reputable harlot in kampala. She succeeds to corner Atwoki and infects him with HIV/AIDS.
• John: He is a boy from a rich family. He uses the loop hole of helping Abooki to trap her. He rapes her when the girl pays a visit to his room.
• Birungi: She is Adyeri‘s secretary at St. Leo‘s High School. She traps Adyeri and corners him. When he notices that Adyeri is bankrupt, she chases him away. At the end Birungi finds a victim of HIV/AIDS.
• Jonathan: He is a counselor who uses his knowledge of counseling to encourage Abooki. In the end, they fell in love.
STLYLE
Style is the technique used by the writer in writing his or her work. Style has to do with the ability of language by the writer,e.g. the use of figures of speech. Simple or complex language used by writer.
• Hyperbole: E.g. -Abooki is in a nightmare. Dad gives him a classic slap. Amoti‘s eye‘s nearly popped out
• Simile. Comparison of two objects which are unlike using ―as‖ or ―like‖.
e.g she walked towards him as a lioness (pg 3).He was as humble as a dove (pg 8)
• Sayings e.g. life is not easy (pg 9)I have hit the jackpot Men are like buses (pg 6)
• Personification. Eg. Amoti‘s eye‘s nearly popped out (pg 8)
• Idioms. E.g. Amoti don‘t have a hard heart (pg 28)
• Imagination or imagery language is an art of author to create an image: E.g. His eye‗s popped out of his face.
• Symbols: Eg I regret to have married a pig Slim- HIV/AIDS
THEMES
• HIV/AIDS PANDEMIC. ‗Passed like a shadow‘‘ is a symbolic representation of how the disease kills many people suddenly. The following events and situations reveal the existence, causes and impact of the disease in the society. For example in the novel, Tusiime, Kunihira, and University students like David and grownups like Adyeri and David and Adyeri‘s family perish as they contract HIV/AIDS.That shows that all youths are sexually responsible. They stand a high chance of being infected by AIDS.
• POVERTY: In the novel of ―Passed like a shadow‖ poverty is a general situation of inability to get basic needs. It acts as another catalyst in the spread of AIDS. Due to this situation, some people especially girls look for men who are well off economically so that they may survive. Example Kunihira, tusiime and some University girls use this way as an alternative to get money. For example Kunihira tells Vicky that ―look how poor your dress is, you must be the most poorly dressed girl in fort portal….”this shows the level of poverty affects the individuals so that lead people to get HIV/AIDS.
• FAMILY INSTABILITY: The stability of a family brings peace, love, prospect and success but when there is uncertainty the family loses direction and stands at risk of breaking up. For example conflicts between parents or children and parent, parent irresponsibility, drunkenness, marriage unfaithfulness, job mishandling and HIV/AIDS. Family conflict: example Adyeri‘s family breaks up due to this. He has poor relationship with his children and wife due to his harsh behavior and drunkenness. He ends up dying with HIV/AIDS and his family fell apart.
• IRRESPONSIBILITY: This shows the habit of not caring or thinking carefully about something. In this novel there are many events as we can see Adyeri is a drunkard and unfaithful to his wife. This leads him to have no time to care his family as the result children receive poor parental care. • MARRIAGE SYSTEM: Most couples are not faithful to each other as in ‗‘Passed like a shadow ‗‘Adyeri had many concubines, one of them being Birungi. Since he is unfaithful in marriage, he ended up bringing HIV/AIDS to his wife,Amoti. Aliganyira is not faithful and hence acquires the disease (HIV/AIDS) and infects his wife (Vicky).
• CONFLICT: There is a conflict in Adyeri‘s family between Adyeri and his wife Amoti. Adyeri being a cruel and irresponsible father is hated by his children Atwoki and Abooki. Amoti is not in good terms with Vicky and she causes her to run away from home. Adyeri ends up in stiff conflict with his ex-concubine,Birungi.
• SUPERSTITION: Amoti believes that her husband has been bewitched by Birungi, his concubine. The drunkard men who use to drink together with Adyeri believe that Adyeri‘s death is due to slim. They have very little knowledge about the disease; hence there is a belief among people that the disease is based on witchcraft. It is abominable for a woman to ride a bicycle in this community as this is termed to be the sign of prostitution.
• POSITION AND ROLE OF A WOMAN:This refers to the place in which woman is put in relation to men in a given society. In this novel, a woman is regarded as a tool for sexual pleasure by men. This is shown through Adyeri, David, David‘s father, and Atwoki who have many sexual partners for pleasure. For example, David told Atwoki―these were not created for nothing ….if you can’t enjoy girls, then I wonder what else you can enjoy in this world ”They have careless behavior that they all perish of HIV/ AIDS. Women are treated as source of money. For example: Adyeri demands big bride price from Akena in order to marry her daughter.Tusiime and Kunihira use their bodies to run commercial sex to men. Men buy them as commodities. Tusiime tells Vicky ―as for me I will sleep with any man to make money, life is not easy. Beauty can make your life different. Put your love for sale….”
MESSAGE
• HIV/AIDS is dangerous.
• Don‘t trust anyone.
• People are ignorant of HIV/AIDS or don‘t know much about HIV/AIDS hence majority practices infidelity and prostitution.
SAMPLE QUESTIONS
1. Discuss the essence of conflicts in the novel ―Passed like a Shadow‖ and show the remedy the novelist suggests. How those conflicts help the novelist to reveal the society problems?
2. By using the novel ―Passed like a shadow‖, discuss the functions of literature in our society.
3. How have the writer of ―Passed like a Shadow‖ used symbolism to present the intended message to the readers.
4. ―Spread of HIV/AIDS is the product of society life style‖. Referring to the novel ―Passed like a Shadow‖, verify the statement above.
5. Marriage is considered to be an important social obligation in African societies; however, it sometimes leads the concerned parties into frustration. Show how true is the statement by referring to the reading you have read.
