Unlike other known
novels, Mariama Ba’s so long a letter is of a different nature. It is an
epistolary novel. That means it is a novel written as a letter to communicate.
In this case Ramatoulaye is communicating to Aissatou, a childhood friend who
is in America. We don’t get to interact with a lot of characters as Ramatoulaye
has been widowed recently and tries to narrate her encounters. It is through
this that we get to know of Madow Ba, and Modou Fall, who also happen to know
each other. Therefore, this piece is going to mention the characters as well as
what is known about them.
Ramatoulaye
She is a major character.
She is the narrator of So Long a Letter; the book is both her diary and a long
letter to her friend Aissatou. She belongs to the generation that grew up under
the French colonial regime and came of age just as Senegal was achieving its
independence. Accordingly, she is very politically engaged, and reflects often
on the future of her country, the role of tradition in modern life, and the
prospect of women’s liberation. She is fundamentally a feminist, though she
holds certain beliefs that some feminists might find unfamiliar or perhaps even
disagree with. For one, she is a devout Muslim, and follows the dictates of her
faith even when they seem to advocate the unequal treatment of women. Though
she is a teacher and has a professional life of her own, she is also a devoted
mother. Her faith and her patience are tested when her husband, Modou, decides to
take a young second wife (perfectly acceptable in Senegalese-Muslim culture)
and proceeds to abandon Ramatoulaye and her twelve children. Despite Modou’s
infidelity, though, she chooses to remain married to him.
Her traits
She is patient. Unlike
her friend Aissatou, she doesn’t divorce Modou when he marries Binetou. This
shows that she was not a person to make rush decisions.
Aissatou
Aissatou is Ramatoulaye’s
old childhood friend, and the addressee of her letter. She comes from a rather
poor family; her father is a goldsmith. Aissatou experiences similar trouble in
her marital life—her husband takes on a young second wife, of noble birth, in
order to please his mother—but she reacts to it quite differently. Unlike
Ramatoulaye, Aissatou decides to leave her husband on principle. Of a much more
independent spirit than Ramatoulaye, Aissatou decides to pursue her education.
She ends up moving to America, to work in the Senegalese embassy there.
Modou
Modou is Ramatoulaye’s
husband. He is a union organizer and, like Ramatoulaye, engaged in his
country’s politics. At first, the two are very deeply in love, and they marry
despite the protestations of Ramatoulaye’s parents. However, their love fades
as they grow older. Modou takes secret interest in his daughter’s young friend
Binetou. He lavishes her with gifts and money, and eventually decides to marry
her without telling Ramatoulaye. After this second marriage, Modou essentially
abandons Ramatoulaye and their twelve children. His death occasions
Ramatoulaye’s letter to Aissatou.
Mawdo
Aissatou’s husband. He is
a doctor, an upstanding citizen, and a member of Senegal’s class of nobles. He
and Aissatou fall in love despite the class difference between their two
families. This upsets Mawdo’s mother, who eventually tricks him into taking on
his young cousin Nabou as a second wife. He does so somewhat reluctantly, but
then proceeds to have children with Nabou, claiming all the while that he only
loves Aissatou. Aissatou cannot accept this and leaves him. Even after
Aissatou’s departure, however, Mawdo remains a good friend to Ramatoulaye.
Binetou
Modou’s second wife, and a friend of Daba. She is only 17 when
she reluctantly marries Modou. She does so at the urgings of her family, who
are after Modou’s money. Binetou survives her marriage to Modou by making fun
of him, ordering him around, and making him buy her things.
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