Xala

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1973

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Study Guide

Before You Read Beta

Summary

Character Analysis

Section Summaries & Analyses

Sections 1-4

Sections 5-8

Sections 9-12

Sections 13-16

Sections 17-20

Sections 21-24

Sections 25-27

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools Beta

Discussion Questions

Essay Topics

Compare and contrast the text version of Xala with Sembène’s film adaptation. In which ways does the cinematic version digress from the book? Are there any elements of the story that become more prominent or significant in the film version? Explain.

What place, if any, does Xala have with other texts from the late-1960s and early-1970s that explore counterculture and traditional modes of domesticity?

What critiques does the novel make about Western influences on Senegal, results of both colonialism and the “soft power” of European and American pop cultural influences?

What can you infer about the author’s opinions regarding the roles of superstition and medicine doctors in Senegalese culture?

Would you read Xala as a feminist text? Why or why not? Support your response with examples from the book.

Though the novel presents various forms of conflict—between social classes, post-colonialists, and neo-colonialists, between men and women, and between generations—are there any examples of cohesion and cooperation between disparate groups? If so, what traditions and loves hold them together? Explain.

Xala is often characterized as a fable, which suggests that the story has a moral lesson to impart. Would you place the novel within this genre? Why or why not? What specific lessons, if any, does it offer the reader?

Would you characterize El Hadji as an anti-hero? Why or why not? Use examples from the text.

What do you think of the novel’s ending? Is it just? Why or why not?

10.

The character Rama is fiercely opposed to polygamy, and some of the other female characters in the story also express misgivings about the system. Do you agree that polygamy is intrinsically more unjust than monogamy? Why or why not? Use examples from the text to support your argument.