So Long a Letter
Encyclopedia
So long a letter is a semi-autobiographical novel
originally written in French
by the Senegal
ese writer Mariama Bâ
. Its theme is the condition of women in Western African society.
So Long a Letter, Mariama Bâ's first novel, is literally written as a long letter. As the novel begins, Ramatoulaye Fall is beginning a letter to her lifelong friend Aissatou Bâ. The occasion for writing is Ramatoulaye's recent widowhood. As she gives her friend the details of her husband's death, she sets off on a journey of remembering the major events in her and Aissatou's lives.
Ramatoulaye's husband, Moudou Fall, died suddenly of a heart attack. Following the strictures of her Muslim faith, Ramatoulaye must remain in seclusion for a long period of time.
Modou- the husband of Ramatoulaye and of Binetou. He was well educated, handsome, and charming. He leaves his first wife in order to pursue the dies of a heart attack.
Mawdo- Ex-husband of Aissatou. He got divorced after being pressured by his mother to marry a young girl named Nabou. He is Modou's long time friend and a doctor.
Aissatou- Ramatoulaye's best friend, to whom the letter is addressed. She divorced Mawdo because she did not believe in polygamy; she left him a letter explaining everything on the bed and never returned. She takes care of herself well and bought Ramatoulaye a car, which made life much easier for Ramatoulaye.
Aissatou- is Ramatoulaye's best friend's namesake. She is the daughter of Ramatoulaye and Modou. She gets a boyfriend she calls "Iba," a broke student who impregnates her. They claim to love each other and plan their marriage after their studies.
Ibrahima Sall- A student of law who impregnates Aissatou, Ramatoulaye's daughter. He is tall, respectful, well dressed, and punctual.
Binetou- a young girl around Daba's age who marries her 'sugar daddy' (Modou) because her mother, who was poor, wanted to live the high life and climb the social ladder. Binetou became an outcast who never quite fit in with the younger couples or the mature adults.
Daba- Ramatoulaye's and Modou's daughter.
Arame, Yacine, and Dieynaba- are known as "the trio." They are Ramatoulaye's daughters. They smoke, drink, party, and wear pants instead of lady-like dresses.
Alioune and Malick- Ramatoulaye's young boys who play ball in the streets because they claim to have no space to play in a compound. They get hit by a motorcyclist that they drag home with the intention of having their mother avenge them. They are disappointed to find that Ramatoulaye does not get mad at the cyclist, but at the boys because they were careless to play in the streets.
Farmata- the griot woman who is Ramatoulaye's neighbour. She noses into Ramatoulaye's business and is the one to point out Aissatou's pregnancy to Ramatoulaye.
Jaqueline Diack : Pregnant of Mawdo's child. She contrasts Ramatoulaye character because she commits to islamic religion and becomes Mawdo's third wife.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
originally written in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
by the Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
ese writer Mariama Bâ
Mariama Ba
Mariama Bâ was a Senegalese author and feminist, who wrote in French. Born in Dakar, she was raised a Muslim, but at an early age came to criticise what she perceived as inequalities between the sexes resulting from [African] traditions...
. Its theme is the condition of women in Western African society.
So Long a Letter, Mariama Bâ's first novel, is literally written as a long letter. As the novel begins, Ramatoulaye Fall is beginning a letter to her lifelong friend Aissatou Bâ. The occasion for writing is Ramatoulaye's recent widowhood. As she gives her friend the details of her husband's death, she sets off on a journey of remembering the major events in her and Aissatou's lives.
Ramatoulaye's husband, Moudou Fall, died suddenly of a heart attack. Following the strictures of her Muslim faith, Ramatoulaye must remain in seclusion for a long period of time.
Characters
Ramatoulaye- the widowed Senegalese woman who, after 25 years of marriage and 12 children, was abandoned by her husband for a young girl named Binetou. She physically distances herself from Modou and turns down two other marriage proposals. She is a school teacher.Modou- the husband of Ramatoulaye and of Binetou. He was well educated, handsome, and charming. He leaves his first wife in order to pursue the dies of a heart attack.
Mawdo- Ex-husband of Aissatou. He got divorced after being pressured by his mother to marry a young girl named Nabou. He is Modou's long time friend and a doctor.
Aissatou- Ramatoulaye's best friend, to whom the letter is addressed. She divorced Mawdo because she did not believe in polygamy; she left him a letter explaining everything on the bed and never returned. She takes care of herself well and bought Ramatoulaye a car, which made life much easier for Ramatoulaye.
Aissatou- is Ramatoulaye's best friend's namesake. She is the daughter of Ramatoulaye and Modou. She gets a boyfriend she calls "Iba," a broke student who impregnates her. They claim to love each other and plan their marriage after their studies.
Ibrahima Sall- A student of law who impregnates Aissatou, Ramatoulaye's daughter. He is tall, respectful, well dressed, and punctual.
Binetou- a young girl around Daba's age who marries her 'sugar daddy' (Modou) because her mother, who was poor, wanted to live the high life and climb the social ladder. Binetou became an outcast who never quite fit in with the younger couples or the mature adults.
Daba- Ramatoulaye's and Modou's daughter.
Arame, Yacine, and Dieynaba- are known as "the trio." They are Ramatoulaye's daughters. They smoke, drink, party, and wear pants instead of lady-like dresses.
Alioune and Malick- Ramatoulaye's young boys who play ball in the streets because they claim to have no space to play in a compound. They get hit by a motorcyclist that they drag home with the intention of having their mother avenge them. They are disappointed to find that Ramatoulaye does not get mad at the cyclist, but at the boys because they were careless to play in the streets.
Farmata- the griot woman who is Ramatoulaye's neighbour. She noses into Ramatoulaye's business and is the one to point out Aissatou's pregnancy to Ramatoulaye.
Jaqueline Diack : Pregnant of Mawdo's child. She contrasts Ramatoulaye character because she commits to islamic religion and becomes Mawdo's third wife.