The Bite of the Mango

Chapters 1-3

Reading Check

1. It is a larger village, and Mariatu’s family thought it would offer more protection from the rebels. (Chapter 1)

2. Marie told her to tell the rebels she likes what she sees. (Chapter 2)

3. The rebel soldiers cut off her hands. (Chapter 3)

4. She wonders, “What is a president?” (Chapter 3)

Short Answer

1. Even though Mariatu is disgusted by what she has seen, she still has an instinct of self-preservation that prevents her from willingly allowing the rebels to kill her. (Chapter 2)

2. The game of hide-and-seek brings to mind young children playing an innocent game, but the reality of these children’s situation and what the rebels have done to Mariatu and her family is the opposite of childhood innocence. This relates to the novel’s theme because the civil war has stolen innocence from both Mariatu and the soldiers.

Chapters 4-6

Reading Check

1. To the hospital in Freetown (Chapter 5)

2. Her relatives Mohamed and Ibrahim (Chapter 5)

3. Fatmata (Chapter 6)

4. He makes a joke about arm wrestling. (Chapter 6)

Short Answer

1. She believes the animals are the spirits of her relatives guiding her to a safer path by preventing her passage in certain directions. (Chapter 4)

2. Mariatu describes a time when a weaver bird was injured and fell to the ground. She decided to leave it rather than helping it survive for the rest of its life with a broken wing. However, the weaver bird, after being stunned, gets up and flies away. Mariatu draws a comparison between her experience and that of the bird. (Various chapters)

Chapters 7-9

Reading Check

1. She is raped by Salieu before the rebel attack. (Chapter 7)

2. She tells her she has many things to live for. (Chapter 8)

3. He says she will be the one to be adopted by a rich family. (Chapter 8)

4. Fatmata (Chapter 9)

Short Answer

1. Mariatu’s eventual realization that she is pregnant and how she got pregnant reinforces her innocence. She believes that only grown women become pregnant and that it has something to do with the belly button. This is another example of Mariatu’s childhood innocence that has been taken from her against her will. (Chapter 7)

2. Mariatu is indicating that rape is not a mistake; Salieu’s action was calculated and intentional. (Chapter 8)

Chapters 10-12

Reading Check

1. She wants him to find a “normal” girl and remember her as she was before she lost her hands. (Chapter 10)

2. People give her larger donations. (Chapter 11)

3. She believes people from the West may send her money or invite her to live with them. (Chapter 11)

4. He needs a blood transfusion but later dies. (Chapter 12)

Short Answer

1. Mariatu is indignant because her body has once again been damaged. She feels this way because the physical alterations to her body were beyond her control and not decisions she made for herself. (Various chapters)

2. The theater troupe gives Mariatu a chance to reconnect with her culture and her lost innocence. It also provides an opportunity for healing and serves as a second family to her. (Various chapters)

Chapters 13-15

Reading Check

1. She is a social worker who tells Mariatu that someone from Canada wants to send her food and clothing. (Chapter 13)

2. To be fitted for prosthetic hands (Chapter 14)

3. Because so many people have lost their hands in the civil war (Chapter 14)

4. In Canada (Chapter 15)

Short Answer

1. Marie wants Mariatu to have a better life in the West. The decision to live in the West will also benefit her family because Mariatu can help support them financially. (Various chapters)

2. She thinks it is demeaning because she would have to use a device to feed herself. She also finds the device difficult to use. (Various chapters)

Chapters 16-18

Reading Check

1. She feels separate from her family because of her Western experiences. (Chapter 16)

2. Canada is colorful, and the air is warm and humid like in Sierra Leone. (Chapter 17)

3. Comfort has threatened to send Mariatu back to Sierra Leone. (Chapter 18)

4. A school where she can learn the English language (Chapter 18)

Short Answer

1. Mariatu sees the prosthetics as a hindrance because she can function well without them. The adults view her experience with the prosthetics as a failure because Mariatu refuses to use them. (Chapter 16)

2. Up to this point, Mariatu has been forced to make decisions she does not want to make. Her relationship with Yabom is unique because she allows Mariatu to make her own decisions. (Various chapters)

Chapters 19-22

Reading Check

1. She thanks them for giving her a home and accepting her into their family. (Chapter 19)

2. A laptop designed for people with disabilities (Chapter 20)

3. The articles did not tell the truth about what happened to her in Sierra Leone. (Chapter 21)

4. A former child soldier from Sierra Leone (Chapter 21)

Short Answer

1. Kadi believes that personal independence is important. She is willing to push Mariatu beyond her comfort zone to encourage her personal growth. Kadi knows that for Mariatu to maintain her independence, she will need to learn to do things on her own. (Chapter 19)

2. Mariatu sees the poverty and suffering in Sierra Leone. She had never noticed it before because she was part of the culture, but having lived in Canada, it is obvious to her. (Various chapters)