The Lasting Effects of South Sudan's Civil War

Though South Sudan hasn’t existed for more than ten years, it has seen enough bloodshed to last for hundreds. Civil war erupted not but 2 years into the country's existence in 2013, accounting for 400,000 lives(Specia). Fought between the reigning government at that time, made up of the Dinka ethnicity, and rebels of Neur heritage, it was said to have started due to knowledge that the Neur rebels were going to start a coup(Cohen). With an official agreement signed in 2018 between the two parties(Specia), so called peace was said to have been established. Though the fighting has ceased, death is still apparent, with 7.1 million people facing “extreme and deadly hunger”(Oxfam International).

With over 30% of the country’s able bodied citizens seeking asylum in neighboring countries(Oxfam), a large chunk of arguably the most valuable group of people, based on their contribution to the economy through labor intensive practices, is gone. This leaves the chances for the famine’s improvement in a very bad spot.

A young nation having to experience such great turmoil creates a hellish environment for its citizens in terms of their financial stability and reliance upon their land. Before the conflict, the country’s greatest export was oil, but fighting concluded all operations, taking a substantial chunk of national income, depreciating the South Sudanese Pound(Reuters). As a result, people don’t have the means to purchase their own food. Famine ensues not as a result of droughts or mudslides, but human destruction. In 2016, inflation was 161 percent(Reuters). How could inflation reduce with increasing famine? As for farmers, their land is useless, ruined as a result of the war. Sabotages such as burning crops gives them no opportunity to support themselves or contribute to the market(Mednick). 

As far as the country's chances of self improvement without foreign aid, corruption and greed have managed to thwart any chances of equal distribution of wealth(Specia). The closest nod to assistance by the government has been creating new 5oo pound bills, as opposed to the previous max of 100(Reuters). Even if an influx of money is introduced into the South Sudanese markets, no prosperity can be had if there is nothing of value to sell, both internationally and intranationally. 

Should restrictions be lifted by the South Sudanese government concerning aid, vital organizations like Oxfam International can continue to provide emergency food, cash vouchers for essential items(Oxfam), and the tools needed so that farmers and other integral members of society can slowly rebuild their nation as it was before the pandemonium. Though a mere nod to normalcy, organizations like these create the structure for more audacious endeavors such as true peace.

Dreams of a Suitcase or Dreams in a Suitcase?

I feel that the suitcase symbol represents many things, the most important one being the temptation to take risks. One example of hope tieing into the suitcase can be seen when the seamstress is with Luo and the narrator and poses the question, "What if we stole them(the books)".(89) This represents risks because it shows the length that the characters are willing to go in the hopes of finding something to entertain them. Breaking into someone's house is by no means a minor offense, but the characters are willing to do it because they aspire to find something to quench their thirst for knowledge and suppress the boredom of their lives. Another quote that contributes to the idea that the suitcase represents risks is when the narrator is contemplating whether he should write the contents of one of the books on his sheepskin coat, The narrator exclaims, " Writing on the skin of an old mountain sheep was not easy: the surface was rough and creased and, in order to squeeze as much text as possible into the available space..."(59) This represents risks because the narrator is choosing to enlarge the chance of him being caught with western literature, despite the fact that he could be punished. He does this simply because of the sheer love he as for the books. Sijie most definitely uses the symbol of the suitcase to hint towards the temptations of risks that are waiting to be taken. On a limb, I feel that the risk aspect can somewhat connect to that of hope, The characters are constantly taking risks with these books and the suitcase itself because they see the contents as hope for a brighter, more accepting future, much like the ones that they read about. This symbol might connect to the movie watching because both things contain wester influences that stress freedom.

Clarity blurred by Desperation

“He was so enraged that he didn’t hear our jovial shouts of greeting. He was very short-sighted and was unable to distinguish us from the jeering peasants in the neighboring paddy fields… His vision restored to its former clarity, Four-eyes was shocked to see the state Luo was in.” page 47

“‘How could you waste all that time writing down this drivel? I can’t believe it. Do you seriously think an official journal would even consider publishing this shit? That they’d give me a job on the strength of this? You must be out of your minds.’ The change he had undergone since receiving his mother’s letter was truly remarkable. A few days before it would have been unthinkable for him to snap at us like this. I hadn’t suspected that a tiny glimmer of hope for the future could transform someone so utterly. He was insanely arrogant and his voice seethed with longing and hatred.” pages 77-78

Sijie uses the symbol of Four-Eyes’s glasses to demonstrate how hope can make a person irrational in their desperation to see something come to fruition.

When Four-Eyes is without his glasses, he is “so enraged that he didn’t hear our jovial shouts of greeting,”(Sijie 47) and was unable to distinguish friends from “the jeering peasants”(Sijie 47). This demonstrates how enraged he becomes without his ability to see. However, when his glasses are on “His vision restored to its former clarity, Four-Eyes was shocked,”(Sijie 47).

These glasses connect to the theme of hope because when Four-Eyes loses his glasses and receives the letter from his mother, it gives him a sense of hope of returning to his former life and receiving his glasses. Further, glasses are a symbol of him being composed and clear-headed But when it seems all is lost, Four-Eyes becomes highly desperate, arrogant, and angry, saying “‘Do you seriously think an official journal would even consider publishing this shit?’” The narrator continues to say that “a tiny glimmer of hope for the future…transform[s] someone so utterly.” These “glasses” of hope have actually compromised his vision so he is fully desperate. This desperation damages his relationship with those around him and causes him to be a more arrogant, insipid person.

On page 105, the narrator takes note of the tail sitting on top of the books in the suitcase. It was the tail from “the unfortunate buffalo responsible for breaking Four Eye’s glasses.” This is symbolic because it connects back to when Four-Eyes got angry about the broken glasses when he got the chance, he got his revenge. With this quote being at the end of the chapter where Luo and the narrator try to steal from Four-Eyes, they’re playing with his hope, the books, and that could come back around and get them.