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Leaving by Moyez G. Vassanji (summary, character and theme in the simplest form)

The story 'Leaving' depicts the fears of a mother's separation from her children. This story is from the Uhuru Street Book, which is a collection of short stories from Africa. The book was written to reveal life in the Asian community of Dar es Salaam, a port city on the east coast of Africa. It brings alive the characters who lived and worked in the shops and tenements of Uhuru Street.

Leaving Summary

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Leaving by Moyez G. Vassanji [Short Summary]

The story "Leaving" is from the Uhuru Street Book, which is a collection of short stories from Africa. The book was written to reveal life in the Asian community of Dares Salaam, a port city on the east coast of Africa. It brings alive the characters who lived and worked in the shops and tenements of Uhuru Street. This story (Leaving) depicts the fears of a mother's separation from her children. A woman raises five children by herself after the death of her husband when she was thirty-three only. She believes that if they sell their store and relocate to Upanga, Aloo and the narrator will receive a better education. Aloo is in his final year of school and wants to study medicine. He is offered a place with a scholarship at the California Institute of Technology. But the mother would not allow him to accept the offer due to financial issues and her fear of losing her son. Finally, on the advice of a school teacher, the mother agrees, but she is uncertain of his return.

 

About the writer

Moyez G. Vassanji is a Canadian story writer novelist, and editor. He grew up in Tanzania after being born in Nairobi, Kenya. He focused on issues of migration, diaspora, gender, ethnicity, and citizenship. He examines how the lives of his characters are affected by migrations. He investigates the interactions of the Indian community, native Africans, and the colonial administration.The colonial history of Kenya and Tanzania serves as the backdrop for much of his work. He received the Giller Prize and the Governor General's Literary Award for English-language non-fiction. The short stories he wrote were inspired by his own experiences in India and studying overseas.

 

Characters in the story "Leaving"

Mother: She is one of the main characters of the story. The mother raised her five children on her own: Mehroon, Razia, Firoz, the narrator, and Aloo. Her husband died when she was thirty-three. She lives in a residential area of Upanga with her two youngest children: Aloo and the narrator. She used to live on Uhuru Street before shifting to Upanga. She is a very caring mother, as she is willing to sacrifice a lot for her children. She is afraid that if her youngest son, Aloo, goes abroad for studies, he will not return home, marry a foreign wife, and forget his culture and traditions.

Aloo: He is the youngest child of the mother. He is in his final year of school. Aloo is a bright student. He scores an A in every subject in his exams. He wants to go to America for further studies because he was inspired by his former teacher, Mr. Datoo. Although Aloo received a scholarship to study agriculture at a local university, he showed no interest in pursuing an agricultural degree. Aloo had an intense desire to study medicine in America, but he agreed with his mother, who didn’t want him to go. But later in the story, his mother permits him to go to America to study.

The narrator: She is the second youngest child in the family. She studies at a local university. She is a very supportive and understanding sister and daughter. She understands Aloo’s need to study abroad. She also understands her mother’s refusal to let Aloo go abroad.

Mr. Datoo: He is a former teacher at Aloo’s school. He returns from America and goes on a trip around the school with Aloo. Mr. Datoo inspires Aloo to go abroad for his further studies in America.

Mr. Velji: He is a former administrator of Aloo’s school. The mother goes to him for advice about Aloo’s study plan. Velji advises her to let Aloo go abroad.

Mehroon: She is the eldest child in Aloo’s family. She is married to a former opening batsman and was in town.

Razia: She is the second oldest child of the mother. She was a wealthy housewife and lived in Tanga.

Firoz: He is the middle child of the mother. He was an assistant bookkeeper at Oriental Emporium (library) and worked there after he left school in his last year of school.

 

Setting of the story “Leaving”

The story takes place in the residential area of Upanga in Dar es Salaam after the family shifts from the busy and noisy streets of Uhuru. Both cities are located on Africa's east coast.

 

Background of the story

The family used to live in the busy and noisy streets of Uhuru. The mother used to earn her living from a shop there. She then moved to the residential area of Upanga so that Aloo and the narrator could study in peace.

 

Summary of the story “Leaving” in a sentence

This is a story about a mother who, at first, hesitates to send her youngest son to America for his further study but then, later, permits him to go, hoping that he would have a better future.

 

More ideas about the story “Leaving”

➤This story (Leaving) depicts a mother's fears of being separated from her children.

➤The mother raised five children on her own after her husband died when she was only 33 years old.

➤In the story, Aloo wants to study medicine in America. He is offered a place with a scholarship at the California Institute of Technology.

➤But the mother would not allow him to accept the offer due to financial issues and her fear of losing her son.

➤Finally, on the advice of a school teacher, the

➤Mother agrees, but she is uncertain of his return.

 

Main summary of the story "Leaving"

In the residential area of Upanga, there lived a mother who had five children. She was a single parent as her husband passed away when she was only thirty-three. She had refused to remarry as she was afraid her husband would send her children to an orphanage. Her two eldest daughters, Mehroon and Razia, were married. Her middle child, Firoz, was living separately. The mother was living with her two youngest children, Aloo and the narrator. She moved to Upanga after she sold her shop in the wild and noisy streets of Uhuru so that her youngest children could study in peace. Indeed, she had very high hopes for her children.

Aloo, the youngest child, was a bright student. Aloo usually gets an A in every subject. He was in the last year of school. Before his school year ended, he went on a city tour with Mr. Datoo, a former teacher at his school who had returned from America.After returning from the trip, Aloo got inspired to do his further studies in America. He used to stare at magazines with photos of universities in America.

After his exams, he wrote letters to many universities. He also got many inspiring responses from them. Aloo got a letter from the California Institute of Technology, which offered him a scholarship. It was very hard for him to believe his eyes, so he wanted the narrator to reread it for him. He had also gotten a scholarship from his local university. He was surprised because he had previously applied for medicine but got the scholarship for agriculture instead.

One night, when all three of them—Aloo, the narrator, and the mother—were together, Aloo started a conversation. He revealed that he had received a scholarship to a university in America. For a while, the mother couldn't believe what he said and thought he was joking, but it was true. Aloo asked her if he could go, but she refused. She didn’t permit him to go abroad for further study because she thinks that Aloo will leave the family. Aloo then spoke back and raised his voice in front of her for the first time. Aloo felt sad because his mother didn’t fulfill his wish. Although, Aloo had an intense desire to study abroad, he obeyed his mother and is now preparing to study agriculture at a local college.

After a few days, the mother thought of meeting Mr. Velji about her son’s study plan. She took her two children (Aloo and the narrator) to Mr. Velji, a former administrator of Aloo’s school, for advice. When they arrive at Mr. Velji's office, the mother tells him about her family's history and background.She wanted Velji’s suggestion for Aloo’s study. Mr. Velji listened to her and looked at Aloo’s documents. He came to the conclusion that the mother should let Aloo go, but she would lose her son.

The very night, it was Aloo’s turn to be with his mother. She hugged Aloo tightly and made Aloo promise that he would not marry a white woman and not drink or smoke. She finally let Aloo go to America for his studies.

It had been a week since Aloo left home. His first letter arrived. He wrote from London, where he’d stopped over to see a former classmate.

 

Leaving by Moyez G. Vassanji [Question answer]

Who is the narrator of the story?

The narrator of the story is Aloo's sister.

Who was Mr. Velji?

Mr. Velji was a school officer.

Where is the setting of the story?

The story begins on Uhuru Street with a mother and her five children. Later, the mother moves to Upanga with her two youngest children. The story ends when Aloo, the youngest son, sends a letter to his mother from abroad.

Where is Firoz working?

Firoz is working at Oriental Emporium as an assistant bookkeeper.

Why does the mother find it difficult to let her son go away?

As the eldest two daughters had already been married and sent off, and the middle son stayed separated, working as an assistant bookkeeper, the mother was afraid to be left alone if she let her son go away, which is why she found it difficult to let her son go away.

What is Aloo’s aspiration in life?

Aloo’s aspiration in life was to go abroad to America for further study.

Why did the mother sell her shop?

The mother sold her shop so that her children could concentrate on their studies.

Why did Aloo write to universities in America?

Aloo wrote to universities in America to get their prospectuses.

What kind of offer did Aloo receive from the California Institute of Technology?

He received an offer to study medicine with a scholarship.

What did Aloo think he could do in America to collect money?

He could work in a restaurant or something.

How many children did the widow raise on her own?

The widow raised five children on her own.

Why was Mr. Datoo well-favored by Aloo and his friends?

Mr. Datoo was well-favored by Aloo and his friends because he was a former teacher who had gone to America.

What does Aloo want to study?

Aloo wants to study different subjects that he has never heard of before, like genetics, cosmology, artificial intelligence, etc., Aloo wants to study medicine, not agriculture.

Why did Aloo's brother, Firoz, not finish with his schooling?

Firoz did not finish his schooling because he did not excel in his studies.

How many sisters did Aloo have?

Aloo had three sisters.

Which university offers Aloo a scholarship?

The California Institute of Technology offers Aloo a scholarship.

Who is Mr. Velji?

Mr. Velji is the former administrator of Aloo’s and the narrator’s school.

Why did Aloo stop by London on his way to America?

Aloo stopped by London on his way to America because he wanted to visit his friend.

Where does the older brother work?

The older brother works at Emporium as an assistant bookkeeper.

How old was the woman when her husband died?

The woman was thirty three when her husband died.

Where does Mehroom live?

Mehroon lives in the town with her husband.

Why does the mother refuse to remarry?

The mother refuses to remarry because she fears her children will be sent to a boarding house (orphanage). The children from the first marriage had to be sent to a children's home.

Why did Aloo's mother not take Aloo's plan to further his study in America seriously?

Aloo's mother did not take Aloo's plan to further his study in America seriously because she thought that Aloo might not be able to get the reply from the university.

Explain what Mr. Velji meant when he said, "If you send him, and you will lose your son."

Mr. Velji meant that if the mother sent her son Aloo to America, he might not return because it's so far away, such a good country with good universities, and so many other opportunities for Aloo's future life that might persuade him to stay there.

What kind of exposure would Aloo get if he studied abroad as compared to studying in his home town? State the benefit of studying abroad for him.

If Aloo studied abroad, he would be able to study subjects that he has never heard of in his home town. He would get better facilities and could continue his desired studies even further. But he would also get the exposure of being separated from the family and not being able to meet them for a long time.

His benefit of studying abroad is that he will be able to harness his talent even more. He will be able to make his own choices about studies and education and continue further studies in different sectors. Not only that, he will also learn to depend on himself to do things rather than depend on his family in every crisis.

Why was Aloo not interested in studying agriculture at a local university in Dar es Salaam?

Aloo was not interested in studying agriculture at a local university in Dar es Salaam because he wanted to have a job in the city after graduation.

Why did Aloo and his mother go to meet Mr. Velji?

Aloo and his mother went to meet Mr. Velji because Aloo's mother respected his opinion.

What does "A bird flying high and free" mean?

It refers to a state where a person is free and has the freedom to do anything as he pleases.

Elucidate how the metaphor "a bird flapping its wings" symbolizes Aloo's future prospects.

In the beginning of the story until the middle, Aloo has been continuing his studies within the city, but later he is inspired by his former teacher, Mr. Datoo, and wants to go to America for further and better studies. As the city he has been living in doesn't have better education nor the facilities that he needs, he was like a bird in a cage with the ability to fly ever higher but was unable to do so due to his circumstances.

In the end of the story, Aloo gets the approval of his mother and is able to go to America, a country full of opportunities and possibilities for further education. His mother's approval made him feel as if he were free to flap his wings as much as he wanted and fly as high as he could, implying that he is now free to continue his life and study as far as he wants, with the possibility of reaching his pinnacle in the near future. Thus, the metaphor of a bird flapping its wings symbolizes Aloo’s future prospects.

What did Aloo do to get information about the universities in America?

Aloo wrote to a number of universities, gathering their names from books at the USIS throughout the year to learn more about American universities.

Write about the hardship, pain, love, and responsibility of the mother as they are reflected in the story.

The mother with her five children was a single mother whose husband died when she was 33 years old. She did, in fact, manage to raise them. She married off two of them (daughters) and was still raising the youngest two children (sons) left in the family. She worked really hard to provide enough necessities needed for the family all by herself, such as housing, clothing, education, food, etc. So it can be said that she has suffered much hardship for the sake of her family (children).

She never tried to remarry but rejected marriage proposals instead because she was afraid and worried that her children might be sent to an orphanage if she remarried, which shows that she loves her children more than her own life, since she refuses to live a happy life with a new partner. Not only that, but almost throughout the story, the mother does not want and does not allow her son Aloo to go to America because she is afraid of losing him, but in the end, she has no choice but to let him go because she wants her son to be happy and successful. As a result, we can see that the mother sacrifices her desire to keep her son and lets him go to America, demonstrating that she is fulfilling her every responsibility to provide for the betterment of her children. Therefore, the story reflects the hardships, pain, love, and responsibilities of the mother.

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