The Red Pencil

Fiction | Novel/Book in Verse | Middle Grade | Published in 2014

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1, Chapters 1-32

Part 1, Chapters 33-79

Part 2, Chapters 80-112

Part 2, Chapters 113-145

Part 2, Chapters 146-180

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Themes

Resilience and Growth in the Face of Change

Change is an important aspect of The Red Pencil, as the novel features characters setting out on a journey—including protagonist Amira’s metaphorical one. Amira’s journey is catalyzed by change and sees tremendous resilience and growth by the end.

The story begins on Amira’s 12th birthday which, besides marking growth, also specifically points to change: Amira is now old enough to wear a toob and is considered almost an adult in the eyes of her family. She is thrilled about the former and ambivalent about the latter—as adulthood brings an increased share of domestic chores. It also brings conversations with each of her parents, who introduce her to the decidedly adult concepts of persecution, genocide, and war. The novel takes place in 2003, and Amira’s foray into young adulthood coincides with the escalation of the Janjaweed conflict in Darfur; she is old enough to be explicitly told about the war, though still grapples with making sense of the gravity of the situation.

When Amira’s village is raided by the Janjaweed, her world is turned upside down: Her beloved father and sheep are dead, her home is destroyed, and she must flee, alongside her remaining family and village, to seek asylum elsewhere. This is not the first journey the novel sees: Amira’s close friend, Halima, left the village earlier in the story, driven to the city of Nyala by her father’s desire for opportunity. Amira’s journey, however, is catalyzed by tragedy. While Halima’s family will need to adapt to the city, Amira’s circumstances require resilience in order for her to survive, let alone thrive.

The characters deal with the effects of their shared trauma upon arriving at Kalma: Leila has nightmares, Gamal turns aggressive, Muma sobs at night, and Amira loses her voice. The change of scenery from the village to Kalma is drastic, as are the circumstances that have brought them there. There is no way back to their old life, and the future seems bleak. Despite all this, the characters begin to adapt, grow, and heal.

Amira is most exemplary of this healing process, and a number of things come together to aid her. Time is, undoubtedly, a factor: When Amira first loses her voice and Muma attempts to coax her back into speech, she sadly notes that grief has locked the girl in silence and only time will be able to unlock her. Muma speaks from experience and with faith that time does heal most, if not all, wounds. However, in Amira’s case, the more active role in helping her heal is played by art and creative expression. Redrawing the scene of the Janjaweed attack is what brings back her voice. This is seen in Gamal’s case as well; the boy draws his parents who were killed in the attack as a way to grieve them. Amira notes this as grieving, just as Old Anwar notes her drawings as a form of healing.

Faith is another factor that helps some characters cope with their new circumstances, Amira included. Old Anwar consistently seems the most composed of the group throughout the tragedy; his ability to still feel gratitude seems to come from prayer and faith in a higher power. He hauls Gamal to the prayer tent when the boy has a tantrum; he also teaches Amira the Koran during their lessons. Both instances leave a positive impact on Gamal and Amira, as Gamal regains some of his earlier joviality and Amira regains her positivity.

However, Amira’s ability to hope for a better future is also influenced by Dando. This, combined with her innate curiosity and desire to learn, ignite a specific dream in her: to go to Nyala and attend Gad Primary School. This dream sustains Amira and bolsters her spirit, aiding not only her healing, but her path to an education. Just as Halima did, Amira, too, eventually sets off for Nyala.

In tracing the changes and growth Amira undergoes and the role that resilience plays along the way, it becomes clear that there are a number of factors that need to work together to help one heal from trauma. Resilience and growth in the face of change are, thus, a result of external factors like time and a tool (in this case, art) working in tandem with a person’s character and outlook.

The Relationship between Tradition and Faith

The breaking and upkeep of tradition are important to the novel. Tradition extends beyond religion and encompasses many different aspects of the characters’ daily lives. For example, Halima and her family are seen as defying tradition by leaving the village for the city. The fact that Halima will be attending the Gad Primary School in Nyala is seen as unconventional, a result of her parents’ modernity as opposed to the village’s patriarchal thinking. Amira holds up Muma as an example of the village’s worldview, with respect to girls and education: Muma is vehement in her belief that education is unnecessary for girls, as they are destined for marriage and farm work. She asserts that Halima’s family is “chasing the wind” (51) in searching for opportunity and education in the city.

Amira considers Muma and her views regressive; however, she does not view all traditions as such. She actively participates in the group ritual of calling out Sayidda Moon, believing a hidden moon brings bad luck; the moon even lends her much needed strength at a later point in the story. Similarly, Amira can see beauty in tradition when she admires the embroidery of her mother’s wedding toob. Art and culture are thus portrayed as positive aspects of tradition to be celebrated.

Along the journey to Kalma and upon arrival at the camp, the village’s long-held traditions are turned on their heads. Rather than call out the moon, the villagers are grateful for the safe cover of clouds at night. Additionally, the village traditions seem to lose their meaning in the jumble of cultures present at the camp. This reveals how tradition can be limited (and even limiting) to specific localities and cultures, thus questioning whether or not it should dictate all aspects of one’s life; different cultures uphold different traditions with different meanings, implying a multitude of possibilities as to how one may live one’s life. This idea is further explored via the television at the camp which gives Amira her first glimpse into vastly different worlds than the one she’s known.

Despite the fact that a number of traditions are lost along the way to Kalma, the idea of faith remains strong, even growing in value. Prayer and gratitude play important roles at Kalma; they sustain Old Anwar, who manages to keep the group together and forge stronger bonds. He instills faith in both Gamal and Amira, which contributes to both of their healing. Amira internalizes the teachings of the Koran that Old Anwar imparts to her, and with this renewed perspective, she begins to talk to Sayidda Moon again. However, these conversations are conducted out of reflection and conviction rather than blind habit. Amira links the moonlight to “Allah’s light” which Old Anwar suggests will guide her on the right path; this lends her the courage to leave Kalma and set out for Nyala.

Overall, the novel portrays tradition as something that is relative to different cultures—it can be beautiful and limiting. As for faith, it often transcends tradition, fostering resilience and even breathing life into old practices. While tradition remains something to be questioned and reimagined when necessary, faith provides personal strength and sustenance.

Land and the Idea of Home

The novel is set in South Darfur in 2003, during the escalation of the Janjaweed conflict with the Fur people. In addition to this, each “chapter” of the novel is subtitled with a location, indicating that physical setting is important.

However, even as the story unfolds within specific contexts, it also brings into question the broader idea of home as tied to land. In the very first chapter of the novel, Amira celebrates the beauty of wheat, one of the bounties of her fertile home. She goes on to describe the soil, expressing how at home she feels in Darfur’s goz.

The soil is a symbol of how fertile and abundant the land is both physically and metaphorically; here, Amira is truly home, accepted, comfortable, and free. She draws sand-pictures in the goz with her twig, allowing her imagination and aspirations to wander. The land of South Darfur is repeatedly described as a place teeming with life. A flowing river provides the village with water; Amira and her family eat juicy mangoes before they knead bread for the day; Nali the sheep gives birth to Flitter, and the lamb is welcomed with excitement and joy.

When the Janjaweed raid the village, they don’t just destroy the land, they destroy Amira’s home. No crops or animals are spared by the militia, and the land is no longer a safe space for the villagers. The destruction caused by the Janjaweed contrasts with that of the haboob; the latter, though dangerous and equally destructive, is still part of the landscape and its natural patterns. The haboob causes material harm but does not displace the villagers from their land and is beautiful in its own right. The Janjaweed, however, take away their home.

Following the raid, the villagers travel across the desert to eventually arrive at Kalma. From the outset, the place is described as the complete opposite of Amira’s farm: arid, overcrowded, and impoverished. Amira cannot conceive a shanty put together with “rice-bag scraps” ever feeling like home. Unlike the farm and village, infertility and stagnation are constantly emphasized at Kalma. The sand is dry and unfit for literal or metaphorical cultivation: The only thing that grows at Kalma is “Sudanese flowers” (trash), and Amira cannot trace pictures in Kalma’s sand.

Thus, the idea of land is literally and metaphorically tied to the idea of home, a concept that evokes safety and possibility. Amira comes to realize that neither will ever be available to her at Kalma; if she stays, she will suffocate and die. And so, the end of the novel sees her set out in search of a new land and home, a place where she will once again be able to grow and flower in peace.