Leaving Short Story Form 4 (Synopsis, Plot, Setting & Themes)

THE AUTHOR : M.G. VASSANJI 
• Born on 30 May 1950 in Nairobi, Kenya and raised in Tanzania.
• Received a Bachelor of Science from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
• Moved to Canada in 1978 where he became the research associate in the University of Toronto.
 • Published his first novel, the critically-acclaimed The Gunny Sack, in 1989.
• Since then has written six novels, two collections of short stories, a memoir and a biography.
• A member of the Order of Canada.
 • Has won several writing awards.

SYNOPSIS OF THE STORY
 Leaving is set in Tanzania. It is a story of a woman  who raises her five children alone after the early death of her husband.After her  two elder daughters get married and the eldest son acquires a job,the mother focuses on the two younger ones, Aloo and the youngest (the narrator). Aloo is in his final year in school and the girl is in university.She pins all her hopes on them that they will have a better education.She sells their store and moves them to Upanga.The place is quieter and provides a better environment for them to study.The return of Mr Datoo, a former teacher inspires Aloo to think of furthering his education in America. He wants study medicine. He starts writing to American universities to get the necessary information .He is not keen on studying agriculture in a local university.He is offered a place with a scholarship in the California Institute of Technology. However,his mother would not allow him to accept the offer,citing finances and fear of losing him as the reasons.Finally,on the advice of a school officer,the mother relents and accepts the idea of allowing Aloo to leave home for a different sky.The narrator,for the first time,sees her mother as a person and not just as her mother-someone who has always thought only of the children's welfare.Aloo's first letter was a graphic enthusiastic account of London but to the mother,she is uncertain of his return.

PLOT 
 In the short story Leaving, the main character Aloo dreams of going to America to study. The events leading to the realisation of his dream are revealed through the eyes and mind of Aloo’s elder sibling, the narrator of this tale.
Exposition 
After Aloo's sister Razia gets married and leaves home, their mother sells her shop and they move to Upanga, a remote part of town. She wants her two youngest children to have a better life instead of helping in her store.
Rising Action
Aloo spends time with Mr Datoo, an ex-teacher at their local school who moved to America and returns for a visit. Aloo starts dreaming about going to study in America. He writes to American universities to apply for a scholarship. A famous university offers Aloo a scholarship.
Climax
Mother says that there is no money to send him to America. She accuses Aloo of being a disloyal son for wanting to leave her. Aloo is very upset.
Falling action 
Mother goes to Mr Velji for advice. He confirms that the scholarship is a great opportunity for Aloo. After thinking about it. Mother relents and finds the money to send Aloo to America. Before giving in, she makes Aloo promise not to marry a foreign wife and to stay away from bad habits.
Resolution
Aloo writes home from London where he has stopped to visit an old schoolmate. The letter reveals his fascination with the foreign land.

SETTING
Place
Uhuru Street
Tanzania Where Mother and her five children live. It is a busy, bustling street filled with cars, buses and bicycles.
Upanga
After her three eldest children leave home, Mother moves to Upanga, a lonely and quiet town, with her two youngest children. When they first moved, there were only a few houses in the neighbourhood. Behind the housing area was wild, undeveloped land with tall trees. At night, the family could hear nothing but the sound of insects and small animals. In this house where most if conversations takes place.
Tanga
A town on the coast north of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s capital city, where Razia lives.
Mr Velji’s office
Where Mother seeks for advice.
America
Where Mr Datoo lives and where Aloo wants to study.
London
Where Aloo writes a letter home.

Social
 PRESENT DAY TANZANIA, AFRICA
 In this society, education is highly regarded.
School officers and school teachers are respected and influential eg; Mr Velji and Mr Datoo.
The education system does not allow students to choose their course of study —'nobody could change the list' (p. 33)
Life was hard for women and children. If a woman remarries, her children from the first marriage cannot stay with her but are sent to a children's home.

Time
Present day.
The story begins with an introduction to the family and their lives over the years.
-The main story takes place over several months (from the time Aloo starts thinking of studying in America until when he writes a letter home from London.)

THEMES
1. Separation

 The story deals with the theme of separation between Mother and her children.
- “And why do you want to go away, so far from us? What kind of son are you? You want to leave me and go away to a foreign place? Won’t you miss us? Are we so unimportant to you? If something happens…” (page 34)
-“But if you send him, you will lose your son… It is a far place, America.” (page 37)

 Mother is sad having her children leave home.
-My two sisters got married, and Mother was sad to see them leave home. (page 31)

 Mother finally lets Aloo go to America with a heavy heart after a lot of thinking.
-“If you go away to the moon, my son, what will happen to me?” Mother asked, smiling. (page 38) -“Promise me… promise me that if I let you go, you will not marry a white woman.” (page 40)
-“And promise me that you will not smoke or drink.” (page 40)

2. Ambitiousness

 Aloo wants to study medicine instead of studying agriculture.
-He wanted to study medicine, but they gave him a place to study agriculture. Aloo was not interested in farming; he wanted to live and work in the city. (page 33)
-“Agriculture?” He laughed. “They can forget it!” (page 33)
-Mother was not made of stone. She knew how Aloo felt about studying agriculture. (page 36)

 Aloo considers studying abroad instead of just studying in a local university.
-All through the rest of that year he wrote to universities in America, finding their names in books. (page 32)

 Aloo still wants to further his education in America even though he has no money.
-Of course, it was expensive, but could he perhaps win a scholarship to pay for it? (page 32)
-Aloo’s hopes began to look unreal. She was right; he would need much more money than that.
(page 34)
-“Can’t we borrow some money?” he asked. “I’ll work in America. Yes, I’ll work in a restaurant or something – I know students can do that. I’ll send the money back!” (page 34)

3. The importance of education 

 The story revolves around studying and continuing education.
-Firoz, my older brother, did not finish his last year at school, and no one was surprised at that. He was working in the office of a big shop. (page 31)
-By now I was at university, living there during the week and coming home at weekends. (page 32)
-All through the rest of that year he wrote to universities in America, finding their names in books. (page 32)

 Mother wants her youngest two children study hard instead working early.
-Mother’s hopes were now on the youngest two of us, Aloo and me. She wanted us to study hard and not spend time working in our store. (page 31)

 Aloo is excited at the prospect of continuing his studies in America.
-Could he perhaps get into an American university? (page 32)
-All through the rest of that year he wrote to universities in America, finding their names in books. (page 32)
-Could he get there? Was he good enough? (page 33)
-Aloo could not believe it at first. He read the letter again and again. Then he asked me to read it. When he was sure there was no mistake, he was so happy. (page 33)
-“It’s something, isn’t it?” whispered Aloo. He could not hide the excitement in his voice. “They teach everything there,” he said. “They send rockets to the moon…” (page 38)

4. Selflessness

 Mother rather works alone by herself at the store without the help of her two remaining children. ---She wanted us to study hard and not to spend time working in our store. (page 31).

 Mother does not remarry so that her children can be under her care.
-In the years after his death several men asked her to marry them, but she always refused to marry again, because of us. Children of a first marriage cannot stay with their mother in a second marriage; they are sent to a children’s home. (page 38)

 Mother finally lets Aloo study abroad even though she wants him by her side.
-“Promise me… promise me that if I let you go, you will not marry a white woman.” (page 40)

5. Fear of the unknown

 Mother and Mr. Velji fears that Aloo will not return once he goes to study in America.
-“If you go away to the moon, my son, what will happen to me?” Mother asked, smiling. (page 38) -“Promise me… promise me that if I let you go, you will not marry a white woman.” (page 40)
-“But if you send him, you will lose your son… It is a far place, America.” (page 37)

  Mother worries that Aloo will pick up bad habits while being in America.
-“And promise me that you will not smoke or drink.” (page 40)