The Story of an African Farm

The setting—the farm and the African landscape that surrounds it—serves as the foundation of the characters’ development. The farm symbolizes the extremity of their isolation, far from metropolitan centers of power. This contributes to Tant’ Sannie’s dependence on conventional mores, which connect her to the traditions of her homeland, and to Otto’s reliance on scripture for guidance. There are no other authorities to whom they can turn. This isolation is emphasized upon the arrival of Bonaparte Blenkins—someone from the wider world whose stories Tant’ Sannie and Otto take on faith—and later that of Gregory Rose. Gregory notes “the dreary monotony of the landscape” while he peruses the “Illustrated London News” (174). In contrast to Waldo, who is of the farm, Gregory sees nothing of interest in the natural landscape; it is merely something to exploit for profit. He does not belong there; he is a city dweller stuck in a colonial outpost.

For Waldo, though, the natural world inspires epiphanies about the nature of existence and humankind’s place in the universe. The landscape and animals alike serve as a motif that develops the theme of Finding God and Unity in Nature. They suggest and provide order within the seeming chaos of life—the passing of the seasons, for example, forming the backdrop of farm work.