Rwanda

 "Rwanda" is a short story about four Americans who found their way to the country of Rwanda through their job in relation to foreign aid. They are all fairly stuck-up. The only person that appears to have somewhat of a conscious is Francine, and this is not even particularly prevalent until the end of the story. To put it simply, they all go about their daily activities and at the end of the night, Max appears to have lost his wallet. One of the other Americans, Frank -- who speaks French -- talks to the servants of their house. Frank speaks to Victoria first and then to Thomas. They eventually do find the wallet, and Thomas is taken by the police. Francine realizes that she is no longer a foreigner watching but rather a contribution to the foundation that Rwanda is based on -- a foundation based in terror and control.


None of these characters are likeable. Francine doesn't even show the bare minimum of what it means to have empathy for someone. You would think that because they are stationed in these areas that they would at least have some kind of compassion for these kids or the animals around them, but no. They talk about wishing to eat things raw. Their whole demeanor is off-putting. Sorry, I just needed to rant as I found barely any of their actions or words are justifiable. Anyways.


The only character that I found to be portrayed in any sort of way is Francine. Throughout the development of the story, you can see that she wants to interfere with certain bad actions, but she really doesn't. She kind of just gives into the group. It would been nice to see her step in and tell her friends to stop being arrogant and maybe treat their "servants" as actual people. However, I know it is not always that simple. An important factor to mention though is that if the Americans had been treating Thomas well, I don't think he would have stolen from them if they had been treating him well in the first place. We don't know this for certain, but it is still a prevalent thought to consider. It feels that these people are imitating the essence of entitlement that Rwanda's society may be based on.


Edit: Maybe I was too harsh?

Comments

  1. Isabelle McHenrySeptember 5, 2024 at 12:52 PM

    Hi Carys, I enjoyed reading your take on Rwanda. I agree that Francine seemed to be the most fleshed-out character, but I am not sure that I agree that she gave little empathy. I think her past of being in the Peace Corps and being a part of Save the Children shows that she has more empathy and compassion than the average person. I do agree that she could have done more to show this compassion by helping Thomas, but I think after years of work such as hers, she is tired and has given up on making a difference. It was revealed that when she was in the Peace Corps, she saw "much of her work undermined by tribal conflicts and hatred". Maybe she feels that whatever she may try will just fail. I think by the end of the story, when she realizes that she has contributed to the foundation of Rwanda, she feels ashamed of herself. Overall, I enjoyed reading your reflection because it helped me further reflect on Francine as a character.

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  2. Dakota DukartSeptember 6, 2024 at 4:12 PM

    Hey there Carys! I really like your take on Francine as a character, and "Rwanda" as a whole. I too found myself frustrated at the consistent lack of action Francine took when it came to the treatment of the local people and also of Thomas and Victoria. It's clear she doesn't approve of really anyone in her party other than Frank, maybe, but her opinions of Katy really ring through. While Francine may be an inwardly well rounded character who has other thoughts and motivations other than just her work or her disdain of the people around her, she is outwardly super flat. You mentioned that she thought about stepping in several times, but not doing so, and continuing to watch idly by while most of the events of the story was going on.
    I found it interesting that the story itself was more-so told by her thoughts rather than her actions inside of the overall plot. Even the final couple of lines from the story, where Francine is realizing that she has become one of the contributing factors of the society, it isn't told through her actions but rather her thoughts. She stands in horror as her words flash over the page as she internalizes the elephant in the room.
    So, while she may think about doing something, her actions speak louder than her thoughts. Although I do agree, we don't know the full context of her situation with the surrounding people and area. I do think, however, that it is safe to assume that she still did nothing along the lines of trying to voice her thoughts and opinions.

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  3. Emma TaylorSeptember 9, 2024 at 7:44 AM

    Hi Carys, I liked your summary of Rwanda. I always like seeing other peoples view on things because sometimes it helps me understand it more. Your writing is very well thought out and put together. I agree with your thoughts on all the characters. They are not really likable or have significant personality besides what you said, being stuck up. Francine did start to get on my nerves as well since she just has no care for anyone, like you explained. The story honestly was not pulling me in to read more. It seemed extremely dull and lacking variety.

    I do not think you were too harsh because I had a lot of the same thoughts you did as well. It honestly felt like every other short story which isn't a bad thing, I just enjoy stories more when they have density and in-depth dive into the past and characteristics of the characters, more than what is usually in short stories.

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