The Embassy of Cambodia

In this section, when Fatou finally sees someone who looks like they could be Cambodian leaving the Embassy of Cambodia, she is surprised that the woman carries the same grocery store bag she does. Fatou wonders where the woman is taking her bags and how it is possible that she shops at the same store where the Derawals seek their goods. This interaction highlights the theme of The Consequences of Dehumanization and Stereotypes because it shows Fatou’s racial stereotypes about the people using the Embassy of Cambodia: She cannot imagine that there share the same grocery store. She additionally uses the outdated and offensive term “Oriental” to describe people from Asian countries, further highlighting her reliance on racial stereotypes as a way to understand and observe people. This also highlights one element of her fascination with The Embassy of Cambodia, as she knows very little about Asian people apart from the observations of a Chinese company in her hometown.

This is not the only time where racial stereotypes are presented in the short story. Andrew and Fatou’s conversation at the Tunisian cafe is rife with inaccuracies and stereotypes. First, Fatou argues that more people died in the Rwandan Genocide than in the Holocaust. It is estimated that at least 490,000 people died in the Rwandan Genocide, while at least 4.2 million people died in the Holocaust. However, Andrew quickly agrees with Fatou’s assertion, saying, “I have to check. But, yes, millions and millions. They hide the true numbers, but you can see them online” (26). Fatou continues to argue that people from African countries suffer more than other countries, saying that “[Chinese people] are always protected from the worst” (28-29). However, enslavement existed in China until at least 1949, and most likely, as in the United Kingdom, domestic enslavement still exists in some capacity today. Andrew presents the bombing of Hiroshima as evidence that people from Asian countries suffer, stating that, “They killed five million people in one second.’” (29). It is believed that at least 90,000 people died in the bombing of Hiroshima. This demonstrates that, despite Andrew’s access to the internet, his own knowledge is sometimes mixed up, which speaks to a normal, relevant function of the spread of information: It is often shared without verification, which can lead to larger-scale tension than the conversation between Andrew and Fatou. Andrew responds to Fatou’s assumption about China with a fact about Japan, implying that he is mixing up and conflating the two separate Asian countries. However, this conversation speaks to the themes of The Pain and Suffering of Daily Life and the consequences of dehumanization and stereotypes. Fatou and Andrew attempt to make sense of their own lives through an examination of wider-scale suffering; in comparing different people’s suffering to their own, they consciously or unconsciously try to figure out their places in the world. However, the stereotyping of Asian people is an accidental byproduct of this conversation.

While many of the facts and statistics used in this conversation are untrue and show racial prejudice, neither Fatou nor Andrew have malicious intent. Andrew frequently says he needs to look up the statistics and double-check facts. However, their use of incorrect facts based on stereotypes shows their limited worldview and scope, even with their varying levels of access to information. In this sense, their conversation is not unlike conversations that take place all over the world, held by well-meaning people who may or may not have all the facts. Fatou and Andrew seem more interested in the pain and suffering happening abroad rather than the pain and suffering happening locally, such as Fatou’s modern-day enslavement. They are so engrossed in what is happening elsewhere that they do not yet fully see that Fatou is domestically enslaved.  

The plot shifts dramatically when Fatou saves Asma from choking. This event forces the Derawals to view Fatou as a hero instead of their domestically enslaved person. They are unable to look Fatou in her eyes, suggesting that this may be the first time they have viewed her as fully human. It is, however, unclear if they are ashamed of themselves or of the fact that Fatou did something as noble as saving their child. However, an incident of this significance forces the Derawals to reassess Fatou’s role in their household, as her saving Asma will likely be a core memory for the girl. Their strange reaction and inability to look at Fatou signals the beginning of the end of Fatou’s enslavement.

The recurring motif of the Devil appears in this section. Following her sexual assault in a hotel room at the resort in Accra, Fatou believes she sees the Devil in the man who assaulted her: “Fatou listened to his blubbering and realized that he thought the hotel would punish him for his action, or that the police would be called. That was when she knew that the Devil was stupid as well as evil.” (44-45). Fatou’s belief that the Devil is “stupid” suggests that she feels she has some superiority over the Devil, or at least an avenue through which to grapple with evil. She additionally uses the Devil as a motivating force and swims faster when she recalls this memory. By dehumanizing her attacker, Fatou can reframe what happened to her as a supernatural event instead of the very human cruelty it was. In this way, her character is defined by her ability to navigate trauma rather than by trauma itself.