Brotherhood

After the strike, many people, on the worker's side especially, are injured, and some other are dead. I found it very interesting that two women, maybe more, stopped doing their chores or whatever they were supposed to be doing to help the injured. No one told them they had to do it, but they still did it. This is a cultural phenomenon that can still today be seen in many countries in Africa, and some others in Latin America. It is some sort of brotherhood feeling. As Ousmane clearly describes it in the beginning of the book, these people lived in a very small and closed community, it could even be said to be isolated. This closeness allows people to get to know each other better and care about one another more. This is why, unlike in many other countries, having people stop doing their chores to help others is actually normal in the story while if someone were to do that in the USA they would most likely be cheered on.