African child chapter by chapter summary

Chapter 1 Summary

Laye's autobiographical novel The Dark Child follows one boy's journey from his earliest memories at age five or six to his first moment of definite adulthood—the day he leaves his native Guinea for Paris, where he will study and ultimately decide his destiny.

Camara Laye's earliest memories revolve around his father's forge, where he listened to the sounds of anvils and customers. He remembers seeing a snake and being fascinated with its glittering eyes. He offers a reed to the snake. The snake takes the bait and the boy's fingers are nearly consumed before his father notices the danger and sweeps the little boy off his feet and away from the danger. Laye remembers his mother's shrieks and a few hard slaps.

The forge is a busy place, for Laye's father is well known far and wide for his superior skills as a blacksmith. Parents send their sons to him as apprentices, and customers come every day requesting delicate mechanisms, tools, and even jewelry. Some linger around the shop just to watch him work. Laye enjoys crouching in a corner of the workshop to see the comings and goings and to watch the fire blazing.

Laye's father is a generous man and his mother is forever having to feed unexpected visitors. To complicate her work, their huts are located close to a railroad, and sparks from the trains frequently set fire to their fence. These fires must be put out quickly so the entire concession doesn't catch fire.

After the snake encounter, Laye finds it amusing to yell to his mother, "There's a snake!" She runs to him to see what kind of a snake he's found and then she becomes a woman possessed, beating the snake to a pulp. One day, when Laye finds a snake to report, his mother says that this snake, a little black one with a strikingly marked body, is a special snake and should never be harmed.

Everyone in the concession seems to know about this snake. Laye's mother explains that this snake is his father's guiding spirit. Laye is confused, so later in the day he asks his father about the black snake. Laye's father doesn't answer right away but seems to be considering how much to tell his son.

Finally he says that the snake is the guiding spirit of their race, that it has always been with them, choosing one of their race to guide. In their time, the snake has chosen Laye's father. The snake first appeared to Laye's father in a dream and explained that he would be coming to visit the next day. That next day, the snake did appear, but Laye's father was initially afraid of it. The following night, the snake once more appeared in his dreams, asking why he had been received unkindly. After that, the snake appeared on a regular basis, helping Laye's father know the future and guiding him in all of his endeavors.

Laye's father attributes all of his good fortune and prestige to the snake. He explains to his son that he tells him all of this because he is the eldest son and fathers should keep no secrets from their eldest sons. He also explains that Laye ought to conduct himself in a careful manner if he is to inherit the gifts of the snake. He fears, however, that Laye will not have the gift and that he hasn't spent enough time in the presence of his father.

That night, while waiting to fall asleep in his mother's hut, Laye feels sad and recognizes some sadness in his parents, too. He wishes he could be in his father's hut. That day is the last time they speak of the black snake.

Chapter 1 Analysis

By opening the novel with his earliest memories, Laye sets the structure for the rest of the story. The story is told chronologically, beginning with early childhood and ending as the main character officially enters adulthood and leaves home for good. This structure allows readers to better relate Laye's experiences to their own. As Laye goes through developmental stages, the readers remember their own childhoods. If Laye had written the novel in a series of flashbacks, the theme of growing up wouldn't be as obvious.

Laye claims that he has always been familiar with the supernatural; nonetheless, he is surprised by his discovery that his father has a God/prophet relationship with a snake. In the novel, Laye never actually uses the word prophet, but that is exactly what his father is. The snake reveals the future to his father and people acknowledge and seek out his father's spiritual gifts because they have learned to trust and rely upon his prophet status.

Even as a child, Laye seems to understand that his father is special, and this knowledge makes him feel both proud and nervous. Laye realizes that his father's gifts may not be passed down to him, possibly in part because he does not fulfill the requirements necessary to be a spiritual leader among their people in Kouroussa.

This element of the supernatural is a theme that is followed throughout the book. In later chapters, Laye describes his mother's supernatural powers and tries to explain how such things could be. However, he seems content and humble enough to accept the supernatural for what it is. He does not require empirical knowledge to back up his acknowledgement of the supernatural. His faith is enough.

The chapter ends with the black snake curling up near his father in the blacksmith shop. In this image, the snake represents Laye's father's power. His father is powerful enough to not be afraid of a snake, which is highlighted by the fact that earlier in the chapter Laye's mother hacks a snake to pieces for fear it will hurt one of her children. Laye's father has no reason to fear the snake. In fact, he seeks out the snake and treats it like a treasured friend. Laye paints his father as larger than life

Chapter 2 Summary

Laye watches with great curiosity and satisfaction as a woman brings some gold into the blacksmith shop. Such an occurrence happens from time to time as people in the village find gold in the mud, sometimes spending months on end gathering the gold grains. This woman, a representative of all the women who come to the shop with gold, wants the gold made into a trinket. Generally, the women want trinkets made for a special occasion, such as the festival of Ramadan or the Tabaski. In order to have the trinket made well and on time, the women hire a praise-singer to act as a go-between.

In Laye's culture, praise singing is a full-time, respected profession. In this chapter, the praise-singer pulls out his harp and begins singing the praises of Laye's father. The praise-singer tells of the lofty deeds of Laye's ancestors, going on and on about people Laye has never even heard about.