Mariama Ba's "Un Chant Ecarlate" ("Scarlet Song")

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that Mariama Ba's "Un Chant 'Ecarlate" ("Scarlet Song") is about the failure of an interracial marriage between a young, poor man from Senegal and the daughter of a French diplomat, focusing on the difficulties of an interracial marriage, such as family opposition from both sides, the weaknesses of the husband and the culture shock of the wife. The author points out that Mariama Ba, born in 1929 in Senegal, was raised by her grandparents in a traditional Muslim household and, being a divorced mother of nine children, was no stranger to the trials and tribulations of marriage. The paper relates that this book makes no attempts at hiding the injustice of the Africans toward the white woman; like a Greek tragedy or a morality play, the lesson is for the people who hear and read the words of the author. Several long quotes.

From the Paper:

"The men in the novel are, surprisingly, more sympathetic then the women of the novel. Strangely enough, it is Ousmane''s father, the Koranic scholar, who is the family member most accepting of his white daughter in law, though this is of little comfort as he calls the marriage "a necessary evil," (pg 66). While this may not sound like a ringing endorsement, it is considerably better then being an active force in his daughter-in-law's downfall. Ali, a close friend of Ousmane and the husband of Rosalie reproaches Ousmane for his treatment of his white bride. "How can you, Ousmane, betray trust? I hardly know you in your new guise.......besides, what do you reproach your wife with? Her Colour? Her mentality? The same grievances that her father had against you? Ridiculous! You are the racist now." (pg 138)"

More papers on Mariama Ba's "Un Chant Ecarlate" ("Scarlet Song"):

• Book Review # 95029 : "The Scarlet Song"
• Book Review # 45882 : "Mariama Ba's "The Scarlet Song"
• Analytical Essay # 4779 : "Scarlet Song" by Mariama Ba"

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