38 pages • 1 hour read
Maru
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BetaSymbols & Motifs
Yellow Daisies
Yellow daisies are a symbol of happiness and good fortune. Maru compares his wife, Margaret, to yellow daisies: “He wanted a flower garden of yellow daisies, because they were the only flowers which resembled the face of his wife and the sun of his love” (1). In addition, they are symbols of his inner joy: “Yellow daisies grew alongside the dusty footpath and danced in the sun and wind, and together the footpath and the daisies would make his heart bound with joy. As soon as the first rains fell, he would plant those yellow daisies along the footpath leading to his home—so simply and precisely did he translate his dreams into reality” (3). Margaret also paints a picture of yellow daisies, just as Maru has seen in his own visions.
Bombs
Head frequently uses the metaphor of bombs to indicate shocking or sudden events, creating a motif exemplifying the unexpected, powerful emotions and events of life. For example, the women who have affairs with Moleka and Maru are depicted as blowing up like bombs at the ends of their affairs. Additionally, the events leading to Margaret and Maru’s leaving the village are delineated as bombs, which were carefully maneuvered by Maru.
Mad Dogs
Throughout the novel, the Masarwa are frequently compared to “dogs” or subhuman animals. In the beginning of the narrative, Maru thinks about his wife, Margaret, “What did he want with a woman who meant nothing to the public? In fact, until the time he married her she had lived like the mad dog of the village with tin cans tied to her tail” (4).
In the novel, the worst torment in life equates the existence of a mad village dog, with tin cans tied to his tail for the amusement of the villagers, to the life of a Masarwa person. Many characters see Margaret Cadmore as a mad village dog, including Maru, her husband.
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By Bessie Head
