“Insignificant Gestures” Essay Example

hear that the doctor has returned from Africa and has become a psychiatrist. The reason why he became a psychiatrist was because he had mental problems in Africa; he did not want to work with blood again. The doctor seems to be an enclosed person because he does not share his feelings.An example on that is when Celina dies, because the first time he actually speaks with somebody about it, is long time after he has returned from Africa.

The fact that he does not speak with somebody is the reason why he has got mental problems. So the fact that he became a psychiatrist is ironic, he was helping other people with mental problems instead of looking at his own. The protagonist also seems to be an honest person. Instead of pretending like nothing, he withdrew his police statement of Celina's boyfriend because he knew he was innocent.

Beside the people at work Celina Dimba was the only person the doctor had contact with. She was an African woman and she worked as a housekeeper for the doctor. The relationship between the protagonist and Celina started to be a professional relationship, but it developed especially when they started to draw together. When they drew, the protagonist felt free and he tells us about how peace full it was; "no words exchanged between us, no judgements or calculations" (p. 2.

l 47). Another place we can see that their relationship was developing is when the protagonist is afraid of the cockroaches.Celina starts to protect him by killing the insects with her bare feet. But even though the relationship was developing, it did not become physical;"Celina was

my companion; our elbows at the table never touched" (p.

2 l 55). Their relationship dies at the same time as Celina dies further in the story. When Celina died the protagonist stopped drawing, he felt that he had lost the freedom she gave ham. He was very sorry about her death and he missed the relationship he had with her, because it made him happy.

He also knew that their relationship was the reason for her death, because if he did not have feelings for her he would do his job. He would have listened to the story about her boyfriend who hit her and he would have discovered that she was sick - as a doctor should do. The story takes place in Africa and it spans over a longer period which has an influence on the story. One thing the author wants to tell us is that to live and get used to another country can be very difficult because a different culture and lifestyle.

In this case it is the protagonist who cannot get used to the African society.