52 pages • 1 hour read
Tsitsi DangarembgaNervous Conditions
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1988A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 4-5Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 4 Summary
Tambu is not sad to leave home, and she is happy to show her younger sisters that they can change their fates. She is excited to divert her energy from trying to survive to learning and expanding her mind. However, she is sad to leave the Nyamarira River. On the drive, Tambu is preoccupied with thoughts of the house and her new sleeping arrangements. They arrive, and Tambu contrasts Babamukuru’s large, white house with the small, run-down buildings on the homestead. Tambu feels separated from Babamukuru because she realizes she does not know him well. She feels self-pity after an epiphany that Babamukuru has taken her out of charity and obligation and not because of who she is as a person.
Tambu is scared by two large dogs guarding the property, but she receives a warm welcome from Anna, the family’s housekeeper, and Nyasha, who is busy baking a cake for Chido. She is led through the house and into the extravagant living room, where she waits for Maiguru to come downstairs. As she waits, she resolves to not end up arrogant like Nhamo. A siren startles Tambu, and Anna explains that it is a school bell. Maiguru comes downstairs and greets Tambu and says Babamukuru’s family members often criticize her home. Tambu says she has not heard any criticism. Tambu sits on the floor to respectfully return the greeting, but Maiguru tells her to sit on the furniture and requests tea from Anna. Tambu is impressed by the tea strainer and the number of delicate foods, and Maiguru implores her to eat as much as she likes. Intimidated, Tambu chooses only a modest cookie. Nyasha comes through and behaves cheekily before walking out to tidy herself up, and Maiguru explains both Nyasha and Chido are “Anglicised” from their time in England. Maiguru takes Tambu to the bedroom she will share with Nyasha. When Maiguru sees that Nyasha is reading Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence, she criticizes Nyasha’s taste in books and says she does not want her reading such texts. However, she does not take the book from Nyasha. Tambu is shown her new clothes, and Maiguru instructs Nyasha to help Tambu settle in.
Chapter 5 Summary
Tambu and Nyasha talk, and Nyasha admits that she was anxious upon her first return to the homestead, which is why she was so reserved. The intimate conversation bolsters Tambu’s courage, and she voices her concerns over Nyasha’s treatment of Maiguru, but Nyasha argues that Maiguru enjoys having things to complain about. Anna calls them to dinner. Babamukuru enters as they are about to say grace and criticizes Maiguru for starting without him. Maiguru serves Babamukuru, but he wants gravy, which is missing from the table. Nyasha offers to make some, and while she is gone, Maiguru talks to Babamukuru about Nyasha’s book, which he takes away. When Nyasha returns, Maiguru fills another plate for Babamukuru, declaring that the first plate is no longer fresh. Nyasha is scolded when she serves herself before Maiguru is done serving Babamukuru. Tambu struggles to eat, both because she is unfamiliar with the foods and because she is not used to utensils. Maiguru sends Anna to make sadza and to get a spoon for Tambu, and Tambu is embarrassed because no one else wants sadza. Nyasha suggests she doesn’t mind going to bed hungry, then clarifies that she prefers reading to relax rather than a full stomach. She then notices her book is missing and presses her mother for information until Babamukuru snaps at her. She gets up to leave the table, further inciting Babamukuru to anger, but implores that she is full and leaves. After dinner, Nyasha asks Tambu to come with her while she smokes a cigarette, but Tambu avoids her by claiming she wants to read.
Babamukuru and Maiguru call Tambu to the living room. Anna behaves formally, which disturbs Tambu because Anna is typically animated. Babamukuru emphasizes the good deed he has done by taking in Tambu, referring to himself as Tambu’s father. He and Maiguru stress the importance of Tambu’s work ethic, as her opportunity extends to her entire family, who can benefit from Tambu’s future financial prospects. Babamukuru ends the meeting by telling Tambu she needs to listen, obey, and study. Chido returns home, remarking that he hopes Nyasha made his cake and suggesting she is volatile. Tambu’s feelings turn against Nyasha, and she is distant when she returns to their shared bedroom. Nyasha asks Tambu to turn off the light, but Tambu does not know how. Instead of admitting this, Tambu coldly ignores Nyasha, but Nyasha understands the truth. She shows Tambu the light switch, then comments that Tambu forgot to change into “bedclothes,” which also leaves Tambu uncertain.
Tambu wakes up from an oppressive dream on her way to the bathroom. She relishes a luxurious bath then refills the tub for Nyasha. Tambu dresses and admires herself in the mirror, and Nyasha supports her by complimenting her appearance. They eat breakfast, and Maiguru gives Tambu money to buy buns at school, which makes Tambu uncomfortable, then they depart for school.
Tambu enjoys her new life, narrating, “Thus began the period of my reincarnation” (94). While she learns much from her classes, she absorbs even more knowledge from talking with Nyasha and from reading. The other students ostracize Nyasha and accuse her of acting “white” and of getting away with things because she is Babamukuru’s daughter. Tambu performs well, and the teachers like her. Under Maiguru’s care, she gains weight. Tambu begins menstruating. She uses rags her mother had given her but is uncomfortable cleaning them in the bathroom, so Nyasha gives her tampons. Nyasha often broaches controversial and uncomfortable topics, which delights her teachers but bothers her family. After church one Sunday, Tambu overhears her headmaster complimenting Nyasha’s academic pursuits and suggesting she will obtain a master’s degree like Maiguru. Tambu, having heard that Maiguru went to England to care for Babamukuru, had not known that Maiguru has a master’s degree, and she asks her aunt about it. Maiguru turns serious and explains that she got her degree, and she significantly contributes to their combined income. However, she does not receive her salary. She saw and had more liberty in England and draws attention to her current sacrifices. Tambu keeps her conversation with Maiguru private, but she is still troubled by Nyasha’s lack of empathy for Maiguru.
Chapters 4-5 Analysis
The setting shifts from the poverty-stricken homestead to the opulent home of Babamukuru, and Tambu experiences a cultural shock. The novel juxtaposes life on the homestead and life with the Sigaukes as Tambu narrates, “The opulence of the living-room was very strong stuff, overwhelming to someone who had crawled and then toddled and finally walked over dung floors” (69). The juxtaposition between poverty and affluence is a subtheme that assists in developing Coming of Age During a Cultural Transition. Not only does Tambu have the opportunity to learn, which she accomplishes primarily though conversing with Nyasha and reading, but she also learns how to live within a more affluent culture. The comparison serves to demonstrate The Enduring Impacts of Colonization and the difficulties that arise from living in poverty. It also criticizes affluence as superfluous—as depicted by the tea strainer, which Tambu perceives as interesting and Maiguru sees as essential—yet it illustrates the important role money has on physical health and on learning.
Nyasha, like Tambu, is coming of age while experiencing a cultural transition, although her culture shock is almost opposite to Tambu’s. While Tambu experiences less oppression by moving into an affluent home, Nyasha is further oppressed compared to what she experienced in England, where, in fact, she learned about equality and oppression. Maiguru and Babamukuru oppress Nyasha by employing an authoritarian parenting style, exemplified by actions such as punishing her for reading Lady Chatterley’s Lover. Nyasha rejects her parents’ attempts to control her by talking back and acting autonomously. She is also showing signs of seeking control through her diet by refusing to finish her dinner. Maiguru refers to Nyasha’s behavior as “Anglicised,” and she complains that Nyasha is opinionated: “That child of mine has her own thoughts about everything!” (74). Maiguru’s attitude is hypocritical, as she experiences similar thoughts and emotions. She also experienced more autonomy while in England and suffers while reassimilating to the culture in her home country. Maiguru’s assertion that she does not receive her salary alludes to her income being given directly to Babamukuru. Her dialogue also demonstrates that although she provides financially for Babamukuru’s family, they disrespect her. Maiguru and Nyasha misunderstand each other’s feelings and needs. Nyasha perceives her mother as a martyr and is not aware of the extent of Maiguru’s oppression. Maiguru perceives Nyasha as obstinate, and she is unaware of the psychological trauma Nyasha has experienced. The disharmony in their relationship develops both their characters arcs, and it also reflects a stereotypically discordant relationship between a mother and teenage daughter.
Tambu’s character arc is driven by her development of empathy. When she is young, she struggles to understand the perspectives of others, such as not comprehending Nhamo’s budding arrogance before his death. Her lack of empathy is also depicted in her judgment of Nyasha and in her assumptions that Maiguru has an easy and autonomous life. However, she experiences enlightenment through her conversations with Maiguru and Nyasha that help her develop stronger empathy, which, in turn, enhances her overall understanding of her world. She begins to recognize Nyasha’s point of view, although she cannot yet understand it; she feels Nyasha should behave differently to make her family happy. She is shocked to discover Maiguru is also oppressed. Tambu is developing a sisterhood with Maiguru and Nyasha by learning the ways in which womanhood burdens them. Tambu experiences a shift in her perspective on Babamukuru. Her views transition from being certain of Babamukuru’s goodness to questioning who he is:
[M]y Babamukuru was not the person I had thought he was. He was wealthier than I had thought possible. He was educated beyond books. And he had done it alone. He had pushed up from under the weight of the white man with no strong relative to help him. How had he done it? Having done it, what had he become? (64).
Tambu’s character arc is not yet complete, though, because she is not yet combining empathy and free thinking. When she starts questioning the ways things are, she shuts down her thoughts. She does not form the connections between the oppression Nyasha and Maiguru experience and herself, and she has yet to form a solid opinion on Babamukuru’s character.
