A Glimmer of Hope

A life takes many courses throughout its existence.  Positives, negatives, and most importantly moments of light filled with help and hope. We experience this positive light through many sources; some of us find it in books, religion, relationships and friendships.  Sources that give us positive hope are valued because they help us propel through life more smoothly.

            The main character Elizabeth, in Bessie Heads novel A Question of Power experiences a self destructing mental breakdown that similar to a journey through hell and back. Although she journeys through hell, Elizabeth is able to emerge enlightened and a much stronger person. This journey allows her to define her identity, and her soul is molded into a much stronger force. This experience also gives Elizabeth a true sense of hope in the world, and encourages her to believe there is true positive light that can affect us all.

                Elizabeth’s initial experience of hope in the novel is her involvement with Motabeng’s town garden. She helps the people grow fruits and vegetables in a very low quality area of agricultural output.  Elizabeth learns how to sustain a garden that benefits all the people of Motabeng. Her efforts to produce agriculture for the village were very successful, “Next to Elizabeth was a bed of the most gigantic cabbage she had ever seen in here life before. She stared in wonder at the nearest, full-moon face.” (Head 73). Elizabeth’s greatest accomplishment was her input on the growing of gooseberry’s which do not grow natively in the climate of Botswana.  At first the gooseberry was unable to grow, but her amateur knowledge in Botany enabled her to find a way to grow the gooseberry in Botswana’s arid climate. This is the first case in which Elizabeth is accepted by the people of Motabeng, making her feel like less of an outsider. Looking deeper into the symbolism of the gooseberry, it essentially symbolizes Elizabeth’s soul.  Like the gooseberry Elizabeth’s soul must endure adversity before it can mature into something sweet and healthy. Elizabeth also experiences hope when she meets a man named “Tom”, who helps her feel accepted in Motabeng. Tom was an honest hard working man that Elizabeth grows quite fond of, “Tom had not been two weeks in Motabeng before his reputation for hard work and giving a hand anywhere had spread like wildfire.” (Head 120). Tom and Elizabeth’s friendship grows as the start to share dinners together, where they talk about their daily lives and vent their emotions. These personal experiences they have together build trust between them and construct their friendship immensely.  During the rough parts of Elizabeth’s illness Tom is always by her side supporting and helping her, giving her hope to overcome her illness.  Tom helps her realize she can overcome her demons during one of her worst hallucinations. Elizabeth hallucinates that her son will die within two days time, when a fever overcomes her son he is rushed to a hospital where he defeats his sickness. When her son overcomes this sickness she realizes that her hallucinations no longer control her life, or the lives around her, “Something was giving way.  The pain in her chest subsided.  The storm in her head subsided.  She actually felt a sensation of being lifted and flung clear out of purgatory” (Head 198).

                Elizabeth used the hope provided by Tom, and her son to overcome schizophrenia, an illness that tore apart her inner soul and mind. She knew that channeling the positive light given off by others could help her find her center and peace of mind. Tom was her supporting force that helped push her through these rough times. Sometimes all we need is a helping hand and a shoulder to lean on to get through the hard times in our lives.

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