The Social Imbalances between Men and Women Are In “The Collector of Treasures Essay Example

He shows tenderness to his wife and children. “He was a poem of tenderness.

The opposite is true of Garasego. After years of disregard, Dikeledi must ask her husband a favor. She cannot afford secondary schooling for their oldest son, Banabothe, and turns to Garasego for help. Predictably, he turns her away, suggesting she ask Paul for the money because she was his “spare. ” Word of this gets around the village, and Paul punches Garasego in the face out of anger and humiliation.

This encounter shows how much Paul cares for Dikeledi. He confronted the source of her troubles and stood up for her. Two weeks of rumors ensued, but Paul held his head high, taking pride in the fact that the gossip was false. Though Garasego’s blabbering was temporarily stopped, Dikeledi still had not found a way to pay for her son’s education.

In the midst of her hopelessness, her son gives her a letter from Garasego stating that he will be returning home for dinner. She interprets this as a ‘booty call,’ outraged by his dependence on sex.Dikeledi calms down and decides to give her husband what he asked for. She sends her son back with a welcoming letter, and spends the day preparing for his arrival; cooking, cleaning, and sharpening a kitchen knife. Kenalepe becomes fearful of Dikeledi’s plans and rushes home where her husband shares the same uneasiness.

I find it strange that they don’t intercede, but perhaps they understand that this is something Dikeledi must do. She is driven by anger, determined to put Garasego in his place once and for all. As she serves dinner, she takes in every detail of Garasego’s

appearance and actions.He keeps to himself, not once glancing at her or the children. “Any tenderness he offered the children might have broken her and swerved her mind away from the deed she had carefully planned all that afternoon. ” (p.102)

All Dikeledi really wanted was a father for her children. Austin 3 Everything she did was for her kids, and everything Garasego did was for himself. One small gesture towards the boys could have saved his life. He didn’t pay attention to his wife either, and perhaps a smile or a “thank you” would have changed her mind.Dikeledi’s decision to murder her husband was based on his arrogance and lack of concern for anyone but himself. She had married him only to get away from her cruel uncle, but this escape turned out to be no better than her first home.

She had not experienced true love from a man, and this made her resentful of men in general, with kindhearted Paul as an exception. After Garasego’s bath, he fell asleep quickly and deeply. Dikeledi “grasped hold of his genitals and cut them off with one stroke. ” (p. 103) There are millions of ways to murder someone.Why Dikeledi chose this particular way is difficult to pinpoint.

She may have been demoralizing him by taking away the one thing that makes him a man, that separates him from her. She could be upset at the numerous times he cheated on her, and perhaps derived closure from knowing he would never be able to deceive her again. This could also be symbolic of her hatred of all men; she’s had nothing but trouble from them all her life.

After the murder, her son is stirred and frightened. She commands him to turn her in. I find this strange because she could have run and averted life in prison.

She turned herself in because she needed justice in her life, for once. Her husband had gotten away with adultery for eight years, and by running, she would be just another lawbreaker. She’d also be leaving her sons to fend for themselves. Paul, knowing that Dikeledi will be imprisoned, tells her that he will pay for her son’s education.

He takes the role of the father, which is all Dikeledi ever wanted. She stores up more treasures in prison, where a woman who has committed the same crime in the same way befriends her. Now, among these women who have nothing, she is equal.The struggle for independence in The Collector of Treasures is seen between genders.

The men are expected to work and bring home money to support the family, while the women stay home, cook, Austin 4 and tend to the children. This is true of most modern cultures, but has changed in the United States as more women take on the role of breadwinner. They also have control over the size of their families with birth control, whereas the women of the villages had more children closer together. It’s understandable, then, that Dikeledi would be fed up with her social status.Things would be different if she had a loving, nurturing husband like Paul.

Kenalepe is completely content with her life; she has no reason to complain. If Dikeledi were the one cheating on Garasego, the story would be much different. She would be branded a whore, while

Garasego would likely marry another woman to look after the children. Instead, Garasego’s cheating is ignored by other members of the village.

In a U. S. suburb, this type of scandal would be the talk of the town. Women would come together to solve this marital problem.Kenalepe didn’t try to help Dikeledi with her marital issues, or finding a new husband. However, Dikeledi didn’t ask for help, even when confronting Garasego personally. Perhaps this is because she didn’t want her problems interfering with her neighbor’s blissful life.

Still, friends that close should come to each other’s defense. Kenalepe also didn’t try to talk Dikeledi out of her murderous act. This is probably because she couldn’t, or her words would not have swayed Dikeledi’s decision. If I were in Dikeledi’s shoes, I may have done the same thing out of rage and desperation.