An Example of a Trickster Narrative
An Old Woman and her Deformed Son
There
was an old woman whose children died in infancy and only a deformed boy
survived to grow into adulthood. The boy was a hunchback.
Although
the old woman loved this hunchback son of hers, she was secretly ashamed of his
physical appearance. She was so ashamed that each day she was on the lookout
for visitors who might come around just to make fun of him. To keep him away
from the public eye, she used to confine him in a drum most of the time. So,
right from his childhood the boy grew up in a drum. He was taken out only a few
times during the day when the old woman was sure that there were likely to be
no intruders around. When the boy attained circumcision age, he was duly
circumcised. After circumcision, he told the old woman, “Mother, I now want a
wife, can you please find me a girl to marry!” “Yes, my son”, said the old
woman. “I will try. I am indeed very pleased to learn that you are already
thinking of a wife.”
By
and by, the old woman went to look for a suitable girl to marry her son. She
approached a pretty girl and asked her whether she would be interested in
marrying her son and the girl, promised to think about it. Without disclosing
her son’s physical defects to the girl, the old woman set about wooing her
intensively. She brought all sorts of gifts to her mother, helped the girl collect firewood and even helped her with the work in the shamba. Reluctantly
the girl gave in and thereupon requested the old woman to make the necessary
arrangements so that she would meet the future husband. The old woman cunningly
suggested that the girl should accompany her to her house where she would be
able to meet the boy.
The
old woman lived a long way from the girl’s village. On the day when the girl
decided to visit her prospective bridegroom, she walked and walked until
sunset. It was a very long journey indeed. When she eventually arrived, the old
woman pretended that the young man was around and would appear shortly. The
girl waited and waited but the boy did not appear at all. At bedtime, the girl
was told that the boy was already in bed sleeping. She was shown a separate
place to sleep, and thus no opportunity to either see or talk to the boy as
would have been expected of people who were planning to live together. Very
early in the morning, the girl asked the old man, “ Please, where is the boy you
want me to marry?” and the woman replied, “ My son woke up early in the morning
and went to work in a different village yonder so that he can earn something
for your bride price”
Although
the girl was visibly disappointed, she tried to conceal her sentiments and
appeared to be at home with everything around the house. The old woman and the
girl went to cultivate in a banana grove. While they were away the boy jumped
out of the drum and busied himself about the house with the little chores
singing:
Khanenuya munju, mwange, Khanenuye munju mwange
Mkhasi
nakikhali misilu, maji kakuombelesay musecha kacha
Khuema,
abele khuchuma nacha sina?
Menyile,
mukhang’oma, kurumba kuli khumukongo
(Let
me busy myself in my house. Aren’t women foolish? Mother fooled her. “Your husband has gone to work.” How
could I have gone to work? I just live in my little drum because I have a
hunchback.)
The
girl heard the boy’s singing but it was so faint that she would neither
comprehend the meaning of the song nor even make out as to which direction the
sound came from. However, out of curiosity she stopped from time to time and
listened. This went on for several days until she started to guess the meaning
of the words in the song. On getting the message home, she was quite disturbed.
Her suspicion was strengthened by the fact that each morning they left for the
shamba without sweeping or washing utensils but on their return they found
everything tidy about the house. One day she deceived the old woman by telling
her that she was going to attend to the call of nature while in fact her
intention was to discover the house and stood listening keenly at the door. She
got really upset with the boy’s derogatory song. She pondered with herself, “
So this is my husband to be? A hunch back confined to a drum? No wonder the old woman deceived me the way
she did. What girl in proper senses could marry a man like that? Anyway what
can I do now? I must put an end to this
continued bluff…..”
One
morning she said to the old woman, “Mother, today will you go to look for
firewood while I go to the plantation alone?” The old woman said, “Yes, my
daughter, we can share work that way.” She had grown so used to the cheerful
and friendly manner of the girl, thinking that she would not mind staying on as
her daughter–in–law even after discovering that her son was deformed. Indeed
she was already contemplating making the revelation to her.
And
so each went her separate way. But as soon as the old woman vanished from sight
the girl dashed back and stood at the door which had now become a familiar
ground for spying on the hunchback. She listened briefly as the boy sang
mischievously inside the house. Then she stole a quick glance peeping through a
side hole.
To her amazement, she saw that he was a real hunchback! Quite oblivious, the boy went on sweeping the floor and singing. The girl felt that she could no longer stand it. She broke into the house suddenly with the intention of beating up the mischievous fellow. But before she could get hold of him he dodged nimbly and slipped back into the drum.
Nonetheless, the girl fuming with anger picked
up the drum and smashed it on the floor. A pool of blood started oozing from
the broken drum. The poor hunchback was dead.
Considering
it appropriate revenge on the old woman, the girl felt no remorse for her action. She rolled over the cold body of the hunchback as a lump of
anger swelled up in her throat. When the old woman returned home and found the
mess she had done in the house she
screamed at the top of her voice, “ Ooh, oh…. Uuuuwee…. Uuuuweeeeeee!” But
it was all in vain. The deformed boy
whom she had been ashamed of showing to the public was dead and gone forever!
Yes, instead of feeling relieved by the burden of shame she now felt great
anguish for this loss. After killing the hunchback the girl also disappeared
never to be seen again. The poor old woman remained there weeping and feeling
quite forlorn.
Questions and Answers to the Old Woman and Her Deformed Son
(a) Place this narrative in its correct genre .. (1mk)
A trickster narrative (1mark). The girl is tricked by the old woman to marry her deformed son.(1mark)
(b)How is the old woman to blame for the tragedy that befell her? (1mk)
(i) If the old woman had allowed her son free movement, he would have been in a better position to get himself a wife of his own choice who would have accepted him the way he was.(1mark)
or
(ii). I the boy had courted the girl himself, she would have appreciated him despite his deformities
and would never ever have thought of the action that she finally took.(1mark).
Expect one reason (1mark) Total = 1mark
Identification; -1marks , Illustration: - 1mark Total 2marks.
(c) Identify two socio – economic activities in the community. Support your answer with the evidence from the story.
(i) Payment of bride price.(1mark).
The mother of the boy said that he had gone to work in far off lands so that the could earn something to be able to pay bride price (1mark) Boys were found wives by their parents /marriage (1mark)
The boy tells his mother to get him a wife e now that he has grown up. (1mark).
(ii) Farming. (1mk).The old woman and the girl went to weed (1mark).
Expect two points; 1mark for identification and 1mark for iIIustration .Total = 4marks
(d) What is the role of the song in the narrative? (2marks)
(i) A source of information of the girl who learns the whereabouts of the boy from it (1mark)
(ii) She discovers the reason why the boy is hidden in a drum from this song. He is a hunchback. (1mark)
(e)With illustrations, describe the character of: (4marks)
(i) The girl
Foolish / naïve: she accept the old woman’s excuses.(1mark)
Patient / understanding: she patiently waits to meet the young man she is expected to marry and initially accepts the boy’s return for the injustice done to her by the old woman.(1mark)
Accept any relevant trait and illustration =1mark. NB-No mark for identification without illustration.
(ii) The old woman
The old woman: Foolish / simpleton. She is foolish to imagine that the girl will agree to be married by his son
(f) Explain two features typical of oral narratives present in this story. (4marks)
Dialogue between the old woman and the girl,
Rhetorical questions – so this is my husband to be?
A hunch buck confined to a drum?.....(any other relevant answer)
Identification; -2marks , Illustration: - 1mark Total 2marks.
(g) Identify and illustrate any two moral lessons we learn from this narrative (4marks)
We should be proud of whatever we own however good or bad.(1mark).The old woman hid her son in a drum and paid dearly for deceiving the girl who killed him. The girl finally escaped.(1mark)
We should be kind /love our deformed relatives. The old woman should allow him to look for a girl himself. The boy got killed and the girl escaped.
1mark for explanation, Total =2marks.
Accept any other relevant proverb.