Camara Laye's demonstrative story The Dark Child charts the author's childhood and adolescence in colonial Upper Guinea in the early 20th century. Simple in construction, the story gives emotional value to the experiences common among children of Laye's social class as well as those specific to his family. Laye's painstakingly detailed depictions of traditional village life and belief systems focus on maturation, particularly that of a young boy reaching adulthood during a time of profound historical transition. Laye describes his growth under the strong and ancient Malink? values ​​but also in the contexts of colonial oppression and degradation in a deceptively innocent way, including subtle but important reflections on his youth from the perspective of an adult removed from that culture. This marks the author's intent to emphasize the life-changing culture clash that occurred throughout West Africa. Laye's subtle and indirect references to colonization and the sometimes troubling fusion of Western and West African civilizations appeal to non-African audiences as both a mockery and an educational tool, while his poignant remembered thoughts and emotions relate to all his readers on a more human level. In these ways, Laye seeks to achieve a level of understanding with his Western audience that is both academic and empathetic. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Much of Laye's fiction provides in-depth, direct depictions of life processes important to both his strong culture and himself, using them to give value to the judging colonial eye. Laye explains in chapter seven, for example, his introduction to the society of the uninitiated, a significant rite of passage that, on the surface, represents nothing similar in the European educational path. Instead of explicitly stating the intrinsic and profound effect this experience had on his perception of his culture and his transformation into adulthood, Laye provides a telling description of his childhood emotions throughout the ceremony: “Even though (the tam- tam) was played in a remote area of ​​the concession, its notes had immediately shaken me, they had hit me in the chest, they had hit me straight in the heart, just as if Kodok?, our best player, had been played just for me" (93-94. ) This description, which links the simplicity of beating a drum to one of the most notoriously important organs, the human heart, implicitly demonstrates the enormously powerful connotations this ceremony had for Laye. Laye assumes the narrow-mindedness of his Western readers regarding the weight of such an initiation, and thus takes into account the cultural divide at the root of his audience's "ignorance." He attempts to erase this hostile social differentiation by accurately, vividly, and explicitly painting a portrait of a time in which he felt his life had value, even as the colonizers tried to prove otherwise. At the same time, Laye forces his audience to become aware of the subtle influences of colonialism as they silently devastate these age-old traditions that define the culture. Explains Kendra L. Matko of Western Michigan University's Colonial and Postcolonial Studies program: "Nowhere in (Laye's) autobiography do we see evidence of the primitive, dark, and 'uncivilized' culture of Africa as depicted in classic colonial works such as Heart of Conrad's Darkness, but instead encounter a quiet narrative,solid, emotionally scaffolded, in the context of sophisticated nonfiction that calmly conveys milestones in the author's childhood and young adult experience. As much as the Malink? If society struggles to uphold some strong customs, especially the male initiation ceremony, the toxic influence of colonialism manifests itself in the smallest actions and thoughts of community members. Throughout the novel, Laye uses the mother sole as a symbol of maintaining cultural values; returning to her represents a return to tradition and youth. Laye recalls his internal battle after the initiation ritual, in which he knows he must enter adulthood with composure but still feels inclined to be with his mother. Later in the novel, when Laye must decide whether or not to leave home for Paris, his main reservation lies in leaving behind his mother, the foundation of his roots. Yet, ironically, Laye's mother sometimes submits to the colonized mentality. When Laye returns home after attending school in the larger, more industrialized city of Conkary, his mother has modernized his room to fit the European style she thinks her son expects and prefers. “Originally (the hut) was like other huts, but gradually it began to acquire a European appearance. I say "begin to," because the resemblance was never exact. Yet I was acutely aware of the changes, not only because they made the cabin more comfortable, but above all because they were tangible proof of how much my mother loved me” (169.) While of course Laye's maternal instinct dictates that she place her son outside Above all other concerns, this marked shift in the direction of embodying a colonial lifestyle demonstrates the infusion of this lifestyle into the most devoted custodians of tradition. Here Laye also alludes to his assimilation to Europeanism, when he calls the Western style of his hut “more comfortable”. This quieter demonstration of cultural deterioration in light of the rise of colonial powers shows Western audiences the extent of European power. Laye exemplifies this through his family's subconscious submission to these influences, appealing to readers' understanding of the family as an important institution and thus teaching the realism of British rule in softer and more widely accessible terms. Despite the pathos of his audience, Laye includes in his narrative aspects that are relatable to all his readers based on their common connection with the human race. Later in his portrait of his entry into the society of the uninitiated, Laye more distinctly depicts the natural infantile feelings embedded in this process, and it is Laye's way of acutely recalling his great fear of establishing a connection with all his readers. . Left purposely in the dark about the nature of the ceremony, Laye describes his trepidation in engaging in the activity, cowering at the loud, unfamiliar sounds and their mysterious source. Adding to his inherent fear of the unknown was the fear he felt resulting from the pressure to maintain the courage and composure of a grown man, traits that have ingrained meaning: “I didn't have to show fear or run and hide. Still less did I have to resist or cry out when my elders took me away” (96.) Laye's description of his somewhat ironic heightened fear at a time when society requires him to suppress this fear communicates a presumed sense of understanding from part of the reader. Here, Laye expects the reader to identify with his fear, so deep that he can convey it in its natural, uncensored form decades and several life experiences later. The..