Characters
A significant thing about all the characters in the story don't have a name, instead they are referred to him, her, she etc. This shows lack of identity and possibly could mean the lack of faith the author is trying to put forward in the story.
The Sudanese Woman
The Sudanese woman is a key character in this story as she is the reason why the European man is in Sudan. Throughout the story we see this woman being presented as an object, we get the impression that she is sold off to be married to the European man. This is known in line 449 "...if he paid for her." This tells me that the European man is distressed as if he has bought the woman from a dealer as the money was exchanged "On a street corner...". We also learn that she has no value in Sudan as she is a divorcee and her family are keen to get her off their shoulders, to avoid 'bad talk' in the markets.
The Man
The story is in third person however it is from his perspective. This man's character is significant in the story because everything happening is given his opinion. We discover that during his university years this man lost direction in life and dropped out. Eventually he converted to Islam and found a new purpose in life. As a foreigner he was struck by how bare, hot and chaotic Sudan is, in contrast he is also struck by the woman's vibrancy and beauty - "He was driven by feelings, that was why he was here, that was why he had crossed boundaries and seas." He knows which adjustments he would have to make in culture if he wants to marry her - "I mustn't kiss you". During the mourning for the dead uncle, the man goes through a range of experiences which make him feel like an outsider . He had thought "that in a Muslim country he would find elegance and reason. Instead he found melancholy, a sensuous place, life stripped to the bare bones." When his fiancée's brother extracts more money from him to pay for the wedding (he has already paid a dowry),he experiences another culture shock , another potential blow to his relationship. "Now he felt humiliated, as if he had been hoodwinked or as if he had been so insensitive as
to underestimate his share in the costs. Or as if he had paid for her."
to underestimate his share in the costs. Or as if he had paid for her."
The brother
The brother and the man don't seem to get on in the story. From when the brother is first introduced in the story the Scottish man can only see narrow eyes and someone who looks at him as a foreigner - "He looked irritated". At one point in the story the brother angrily asks the man to "contribute to the petrol" and when the brother receives the money "he looked at it like it was not much, like he had expected more". He seems mean-spirited. He raises the matter of the cost of the wedding and
extracts such a large sum from the man (who has already paid a dowry, in line with local custom) that the man is left feeling slightly dirty. "On a street corner, money was exchanged between them." The stark sentence and
the seedy street corner setting make us share her disapproval. As if to confirm the brothers underhand behaviour, he then says, "Thanks, better not tell her about this, okay?".
extracts such a large sum from the man (who has already paid a dowry, in line with local custom) that the man is left feeling slightly dirty. "On a street corner, money was exchanged between them." The stark sentence and
the seedy street corner setting make us share her disapproval. As if to confirm the brothers underhand behaviour, he then says, "Thanks, better not tell her about this, okay?".