I found it interesting that in “We Would Like to Inform You”, in the prologue how the pygmy talks to the narrator about this idea of universality and his ‘theory’ of Homo sapiens. Ironically though, he says that he must marry a white woman. What I find interesting about this is that in order to unify he discriminates against Africans and he even says, “Africans are sick”. I feel as if this story parallels the genocide in Rwanda where all of the Hutu feel the need to kill the Tutsi in order to unify Rwanda.
Along the universality, I thought it was interesting that the pygmy had to marry a white woman specifically. Throughout literature it can be observed that white or pale women represent a kind of purity and peaceful nature countering the animalistic nature portrayed by their counter parts. I think that the pygmy specifies a white woman because being surrounded by constant slaughter and chaos he wants to see something beautiful and gentle. Perhaps this also parallels with the genocide in Rwanda now only in that they’re trying to achieve some sort of universality by dividing people, but they are doing so in order to achieve something beautiful.
http://www.whitedressesforwomen.org/a-symbol-of-beauty-and-purity/
I think that you bring up an interesting point. Why is it that white women in literature always are considered as well-off, pretty, graceful, and elegant? I know many white woman who are none of these things, yet they are consistently portrayed as such in literture.
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