Out Of Africa By Isak Dinesen

For Isak Dinesen, “Looking back on a sojourn in the African highlands, […] you woke up in the morning and thought: Here I am, where I ought to be” (Dinesen 1.1:2-3). Isak Dinesen’s Out of Africa displays proof that despite what people say, Africa is a beautiful country and it can be called home. The term “family” does not have to represent blood relatives, it also used when people have a strong bond with each other, in the novel, and the residents/workers on Isak’s plantation can be considered family. They are standing by each other through the good times, and the rough times. Isak, born in Denmark, recalls her story about her time in Africa, while exploring her story, loving relationships on her plantation, working with each other through

Living away from your birthplace is a challenging task, to be able to conform to a different environment, and their culture is wonderful. For “my first weeks in Africa, I had felt a great affection for the Natives. It was a strong feeling that embraced all ages and both sexes. The discovery of the dark races was to me a magnificent enlargement of all my world” (Dinesen 1.1:8). Right from the start, Isak is a dynamic character, she quickly adapts to her new home, even though she has only known them for a few weeks, she makes new friends as she is staying in Africa for a while. It shows that she is appreciating the difference in races, and race should not be an issue when it comes to calling somebody “family”. Since Isak is fitting in well, her chef has a misconception on churches, and Isak calmly invites him in. Kamante is afraid of the hospital, “I explained to him that this was all a misunderstanding, and that he must come now. But at that he began to turn to stone before my eyes, he died, he turned up his eyes so that only the white showed in them and sweated in the face. “No, no, Msabu,” he whispered, “I am not coming with you. There inside that big church, I know it well, there is a Msabu who is mbaia

But even family argue, sometimes one party has to be the bigger person and has to try and resolve the problem. To illustrate, the Kikuyu were having a traditional dance, the Masai tribe is not allowed to be present, but they attended. Therefore “The Kikuyu were deeply agitated, too, but they behaved well to their guests. The chief dancer of the farm welcomed them into the dancing ring, where in deep silence they took their place, and the dance was begun once more” (Dinesen 3.1:7). To be able to put aside your differences and be close to each other is something that families do frequently, being angry at a relative can only go on for so long, and apologizing can make or break the relationship. Considering the two tribes see each other daily, it is in their best interest to be united, they can work effectively and efficiently. Operating a single entity is what families do, sometimes it is not the others fault. It is not their fault, “From the beginning this went against me. For Kaninu, I thought, had lost his son just as the other fathers, and the fate of his child seemed to me the most tragic of the lot. Wamai was dead and out of it, and Wanyangerri was in Hospital, where people were looking after him, but Kabero had been abandoned by all, and nobody knew where his bones lay” (Dinesen 2.3:1). Since this accidental shooting occurs on Isak’s property,