So Long a Letter

by Mariama Ba

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In So Long a Letter, how does the theme of betrayal influence Ramatoulaye's behavior?

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In So Long a Letter, the significance of the theme of betrayal on Ramatoulaye’s behavior is that it makes her bitter and lacking in trust. Her late husband’s numerous betrayals have had a damaging effect on her life and she cannot move on because of them. The importance of betrayal in the novel is that it’s presented as an intrinsic part of traditional Senegalese polygamy.

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Mariama Ba's So Long a Letter is a semi-autobiographical novel inspired by experiences of abandonment.

The story takes the form of a letter written by Ramatoulaye to her best friend Aissatou Ba, in which she conveys her heart-wrenching journey of betrayal. She remembers how her husband betrayed her several years ago, by marrying a much younger woman and abandoning her and her children. Ramatoulaye suffers emotional trauma and conflict. She considers herself a feminist and is bound to traditions too. She wants to divorce her husband but decides against it.

Ramatoulaye's friend Aissatou experiences betrayal in her marriage. However, she chooses to react differently. She stands up to a society ridden with patriarchal hypocrisy. She refuses to be in a relationship that degrades her. She moves on with a new life that does not involve polygamy.

The story celebrates feminists who do not succumb to cultural betrayal and endeavor...

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to reclaim their respect and dignity.

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Betrayal is seen throughout the story in the customs of the Sengalese people. Husbands are expected to take more than one wife, and it is a shame to the husband's family if he doesn't, as is the case with Aissatou, the woman to whom Ramatoulaye is writing. Aissatou's mother-in-law forced her son to take a second wife, and Aissatou saw this as a betrayal of her husband's love for her, so she divorced him. In her case, Aissatou is betrayed by both her husband and her mother-in-law. Ramatoulaye stays married to her husband after he takes a younger wife and abandons Ramatoulaye and her children. She doesn't allow her anger of her husband's betrayal to emerge until after his death. It is then that she shows the strength to be able to refuse marriage to her husband's brother and an old boyfriend who stilled loved her. She knew she could never inflict the pain on other women that she had felt when her husband took another wife. Throughout the story, Ramatoulaye is conflicted about the traditions of Islam and her society. Her religion comforts her in one aspect, but she recognizes how unjust polygamy is. Her behavior is based on this conflict until the end, when she's able to come to terms with how she feels.

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