Cara
DeCoste
Robert
Arnold
Dark
Child microtheme
1/26/12
One of the main themes of the Dark Child
is identity, and in many ways, identity is a community matter. ‘We are the
Malinke.’ That means something special. All of their rites and ceremonies are
in groups. Their mysteries, legends, religion, beliefs, all nurture this
community mentality, community identity, as do the simple facts of life – they
live in the same place, and do not move; they do the same things (mostly) and
follow in their fathers’ footsteps (generally). At the center of this is the
family. The family identity is even stronger than the community identity. And
then there is Camara – and he is different. The struggle between communal,
particularly family, identity and the choice of an individual path is a central
theme in Dark Child, and is resolved most particularly by the educated,
successful uncle’s entrance into Camara’s life.
Camara’s family identity is built on two
things: faith and labor – skilled labor, but labor all the same. The faith
aspect is clear in the guiding spirit and ceremonial purity of his father and
the totem of his mother – both of which seem to be particularly powerful. The
labor of his mother was typical; of course his father’s labor was unusually
skilled and therefore unusually praised. However, both succeeded within the
‘bounds,’ if you will, of their traditional society. That was not Camara’s
bent. But because the notion of family and community identity was so firmly
implanted in him, he could not simply forge his own path. He needed vision and
permission, yes, but most of all he needed someone to follow.
Most importantly, he needed a father
figure, but also a whole new ‘family,’ to create a new community identity for
him. We see hintings of this important relationship early in the book, hearing
about his father’s brothers who live in the cities, had an education, and are
important people. Thrust into unfamiliar city life, he finds comfort in the
feeling of family he has from living with these men and their wives (who, it is
particularly noted, remind him of his mother – indicating an identification and
perhaps replacement there). His ‘rituals’ - informal repetitions he indicates
throughout the book – are new, yet give him a feeling of place. Yet however
similar the ideas and values behind this new community, though, Camara’s uncles
are used in his life to redefine religiosity and success. They replace animism with
Islam, and skilled craftsmanship and community commendation with knowledge and
prominence (and community commendation, of a different type), respectively. In
giving him these new community rituals, values expressions, and identity as a
whole, Camara’s uncles help him transition to the new, cultured world where he
finds he belongs.
