So Long a Letter

by Mariama Ba

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Student Question

Explain Aissatou Fall and Iba's relationship and their parents' reaction to Aissatou's pregnancy in So Long a Letter.

Quick answer:

In So Long a Letter, Iba impregnates Aissatou Fall out of wedlock. Aissatou Fall is Ramatoulaye’s daughter, named after Ramatoulaye’s best friend Aissatou. Iba is a law student who is Aissatou Fall’s boyfriend. At first, Ramatoulaye is shocked and views the pregnancy as a bad thing, because premarital relations were historically not allowed in Muslim families. However, Ramatoulaye eventually embraces the pregnancy and lets Iba marry Aissatou.

Expert Answers

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Aissatou Fall is Ramatoulaye’s daughter, who Ramatoulaye named after her best friend Aissatou. Ibrahima Sall is Aissatou Fall’s boyfriend and is a college student studying law who knew Aissatou's father. Aissatou and Iba are a sweet, responsible young couple, and Iba says that he truly loves Aissatou. The two defy social norms by having relations before marriage, and Aissatou becomes pregnant.

Ramatoualyte is initially outraged when she learns of what happened. She did not think that Aissatou would be the type of girl to get into this situation. Many strict Muslim parents in Ramatoualyte's community would disown their daughter for breaking rules like that. However, Ramatoualyte reflects on how much she cares for her daughter and realizes her love outweighs her frustration over this situation. She allows Iba to marry Aissatou, and the two begin a life together.

The way Ramatoulaye handles the pregnancy demonstrates her defiance of cultural norms and also suggests that times and social norms are changing. Ramatoulaye does not treat her daughter differently now, which would have been a common response. She also decides to teach her other children about sexual education so the same situation does not happen to them. Ultimately the family learns and grows from Aissatou and Iba’s relationship.

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