From Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen

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From Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen

Karen Blixen, under the pen name Isak Dinesen, wrote this passage when she was alone in Africa. Her husband, who would cheat and gamble constantly, finally left and they divorced. After Karen is left with all this pain and responsibility, she writes of her new life. After hearing about Karen’s past, it is easy to assume a lot about her which she proves wrong in her writing. For example, I would have assumed that part of her must be bitter, but Karen is the opposite. Her  loving spirit is so positive. The reader is able to see through her writing and use of imagery how much she cares for Africa, the people that work for her, and Lulu, the antelope she saved. 

The story of Lulu the fawn and Karen is significant because it shows how nurturing the writer is. “The years in which Lulu and her people came round to my house were the happiest of my life in Africa” (228). I believe that Karen would have been a wonderful mother, had her husband been a good man. She saw Lulu as a daughter in some ways and I think this really impacted her. “She insisted on being scratched behind the ears, in a pretty forbearing way, like a young wife who pertly permits her husband a caress” (224). When describing this moment with Lulu, she sees herself when she was once more young and innocent. Later, when Lulu left and found a new life, I think it may have reminded Karen of when she left her old life and moved away to Africa with her husband. She relates to this animal in many ways, and it shows the reader how empathetic she is. 

“An African Native Forest is a mysterious region. You ride into the depths of an old tapestry, in places faded and in others darkened with age, but marvellously rich in green shades. You cannot see the sky at all in there, but the sunlight plays in many strange ways, falling through the foliage. The grey fungus, like long drooping beards, on the trees, and the creepers hanging down everywhere, give a secretive, recondite air to the Native forest” (220). I love the imagery Karen uses to describe her surroundings. I think it is also important to note this recurring metaphor of Karen’s life being like a tapestry, filled with color, newness, experience, and age. She must have been a very visual person. It seems as though the world is more vivid in her eyes. “Suddenly, gently, the summit of the hill caught the first sunlight and blushed” (225). Karen probably saw this sunrise everyday, but this small quote makes it seem so new and exciting.