A Man Cannot Cry
question
Characterisation and analysis of Themes in Gloria Keverne's book 'A man cannot cry'
Stuart
Dec 16, 2015 04:23AM
To get the ball rolling here is my input ....
Themes in the book
1. Politics
2. Religion
3. Medicine
4. Family
5. Sexuality
Religious themes in the book
Traditional organised christian religion is shown to be mostly ineffectual - its just a farce that is clung upon by some of the missionaries - it is like salt that has lost its flavor. Most of the people who vocally proclaim to be the most pious are living a "double standard" and not being true to the christian ethos e.g . Hannah Rothschild is abusive and callous to the african students. Orville Fotch Is a swindler and a fraud - posting misleading articles to american donors requesting for funds and materials and greadily with the aid of his wife, stealing the Lords due. They are more like the biblical couple 'Ananias and Sapphira'
it can be noted that in the book no real good came out of religion so to speak , but medicine (both western and traditional) is seen to be more superior than religion in giving benefit to the community
Triumph Of African Medicine
A fortune teller ( read witchdoctor) with amazing clarity and spot-on accuracy predicts Than Profanes love life - that Than has 'loved' many women but has only one soul-mate or true love (jennifer solomon)
A witchdoctor without a shadow of a doubt cures a cancer case which western medicine was unable to cure and has the herb capable of this feat in his possession.
Than's status as a qualified witchdoctor enables him to save many lives
Biting a stick garners protection from the 'ancestors' against crocodiles
Triumph Of Western Medicine
Small pox epidermic eradicated thanks to Than's ministrations
The woman from chief mulaisho's village whom the witchdoctors had given up on was healed (albeit after many months) of a botched caesarian section
The spirit led man eating lion - the Kazungula Killer spares the life of Jenny and Dr. Profane from being its next victims because it saw Than's extraordinary healing prowess.
- Organized religion has disastrous / deadly effects in the book
The cult of the 'Lumpa's' cause untold suffering and leaves a trail of death and distruction
The Lunda , (thanks to the meddling of Ezra Peabody and company who under the veil of night threaten the heathen Lunda's with hell fire and brimstone if they do not convert to christianity) runaway from suseshi to their definite death before being properly treated for small pox.
- The pompous missionaries ( Hannah Rothschild ) are just like the biblical pharisees; outwardly appearing to do the Lord's work but in actual fact are doing the devils work
- Than profane - armed with a scalpel, brash arrogance, narcissistic tendencies, determination and the 'Gospel Of Medicine' in the eyes of his Quaker detractors ( Orville Fotch , Hannah Rothschild et al) is an agent of the dark lord satan but in the grand scheme of things though being callous and unorthodox manages to do the Lords work and as he left suseshi he single handedly brings in 3 times more converts in 7 years than all the Quakers combined in decades
Characterisation
Dr. Than Profane
Prone to profanity and is a heathen
Blashemous and has total disrespect for organised religion
Never says a prayer throughout the whole book despite his status as a missionary - even in the most trying times he never utters a single prayer word i.e
After being attached by a leopard
Before and after Lukes death
During the Balunda siege
He is immediately controversial and unorthodox : wears revealing dress and is shirtless during dinner and swearing infront of Quaker ladies
Cunning and Practical : to avert a potentially explosive situation he exchanges mulaisho's still born baby for a live healthy one whose mother did not want him/her as she simply had too many children and could not look after any more
A medicine man : Than lives eats and breathes medicine and will do anything for medicine even crossing the moral barriers that medical ethics entail.
Dr. Profane's breach of medical ethics
Initially practices medicine without a Northern Rhodesia leave to do so
Administers analgesics during child birth in blatant violation of Quaker regulations and moral dogmas
Administers some to a native girl and guilt trips Matthew Tomlinson to give him the go ahead to do so.
Dr. Jerome Dooley - while delivering jennifer solomon refuses to use a painkiller but Than Profane administers one anyway
Plays God and tries to terminate Jenny Solomon's baby - abortion being a capital sin according to Quaker standard operating procedure.
Performs a blatantly heathen and Antichrist 'Blood Brotherhood' ritual, trains as a witchdoctor, entertains heathen divination and does not preach the word of Christ
Has a fiery temperament : attacks Fauntleroy : time and time again puts the Quaker ladies in their place : gets into a trance like state and is blinded by rage when he sees Carl Steiner with Suzannah at the ball.
Nicknamed 'NJUMWAICE' loosely translated to mean 'cowboy' which is the name he uses among natives. Partly bacause he always wears a stetson. The cowboy name is fitting because he lives loose, reckless and fast and has a behaivour not unlike that of the cowboys from the wild wild west.
Manipulative - manipulates matthew to attend heathen divination , a heathen bloodbrotherhood pact and to greenlight the use of painkillers during labour.
Medical God - in the end crucified at the hands of the Quakers and leaves his beloved suseshi and his one true love - a blind Jennifer Solomon.
The Theme Of Sexuality in the Book
Than Profane is a very sexual being and during the course of the book, in addition to the untold others that he has slept with - he slept with the following
Lucy O'connor
Mandy Mansfield
Suzannah McQueen
Jennifer Solomon
Ingrid Wikstrom (there was no penetration but Than ejaculated)
Than's unbridled sexuality led him to desire (or be aroused by) people whom it would be scandalous for him to have sex with , here are a few examples
Jayne Profane ( step sister)
Katherine ( step-mother)
Mrs McQueen (mother-in-law)
Though very sexually adventurous Than is against sleeping with black women and never ever tries to bed a native. He hates interracial sex and tells Suzannah that the body of a white women should be a mystery to and remain unknown to the black man. That is the only racist thing about Than Profane.
He is not homosexual and shies from just merely being touched by another male person. Than even becomes violent when touched by a male person.
Suzannah is the ultimate personification of Than's sexuality - superficial, frustrating, worldly, unfaithful, purely physical, exciting-as-sin, beautiful and all all encompassing.
Given the status of being a sex fiend how is it possible that Than was able to go for very long periods of time( at one time an excess of 6 months) at suseshi without having sex? Gloria Keverne doesn't say - but I think Than used 'sexual transmutation' and indirectly sated his sexual desire by driving himself hard while working medicine and caring for his patients. This greatly reduced his carnal need.
According to a witchdoctor Than Profane will have 5 children in his lifetime , arguably these could be
Pre-Suseshi era
CHILD 1 : aborted in the USA by Than Profane
CHILD 2 : is a girl in the USA who thinks Than is her uncle
Suseshi era
CHILD 3 : Luke, mothered by blind Jenny Solomon who dies prepubescent. Only Than, Jenny and Matthew Tomlinson know who the father is.
Post Suseshi era
CHILD 4 : mothered by Suzannah against all odds - she was medically declared unable to conceive , she tried suicide, a botched abortion but still the baby survived. Paternity might be questionable given suzannah's dalliance with Carl Steiner, her work in the porn industry and her general promiscuity.
CHILD 5 : might be mothered by Suzannah or than might have an affair in San Franscisco or one of his old mistresses (lucy o'connor or mandy mansfield) might conceive.......theres a lot of possibilities here
Questions
If Than had not been traped into marrying Suzannah by McQueen would he have married? He doesn't strike me as the marrying type. And would he have come clean and admitted to all the Quakers that Luke was his son and lived with blind Jenny Solomon?
What use did Than put that secret notebook that he used to note down Kwoyisho's herbal fomulae while training as a witchdoctor? Are we reaping the benefit of that book this day - has mordern medicine assimilated some of those achaic panaceas?
How does the title "A man cannot cry" related to the story? Is there some arcane meaning or significance?
Does anyone have any ebook version of this book?
Themes in the book
1. Politics
2. Religion
3. Medicine
4. Family
5. Sexuality
Religious themes in the book
Traditional organised christian religion is shown to be mostly ineffectual - its just a farce that is clung upon by some of the missionaries - it is like salt that has lost its flavor. Most of the people who vocally proclaim to be the most pious are living a "double standard" and not being true to the christian ethos e.g . Hannah Rothschild is abusive and callous to the african students. Orville Fotch Is a swindler and a fraud - posting misleading articles to american donors requesting for funds and materials and greadily with the aid of his wife, stealing the Lords due. They are more like the biblical couple 'Ananias and Sapphira'
it can be noted that in the book no real good came out of religion so to speak , but medicine (both western and traditional) is seen to be more superior than religion in giving benefit to the community
Triumph Of African Medicine
A fortune teller ( read witchdoctor) with amazing clarity and spot-on accuracy predicts Than Profanes love life - that Than has 'loved' many women but has only one soul-mate or true love (jennifer solomon)
A witchdoctor without a shadow of a doubt cures a cancer case which western medicine was unable to cure and has the herb capable of this feat in his possession.
Than's status as a qualified witchdoctor enables him to save many lives
Biting a stick garners protection from the 'ancestors' against crocodiles
Triumph Of Western Medicine
Small pox epidermic eradicated thanks to Than's ministrations
The woman from chief mulaisho's village whom the witchdoctors had given up on was healed (albeit after many months) of a botched caesarian section
The spirit led man eating lion - the Kazungula Killer spares the life of Jenny and Dr. Profane from being its next victims because it saw Than's extraordinary healing prowess.
- Organized religion has disastrous / deadly effects in the book
The cult of the 'Lumpa's' cause untold suffering and leaves a trail of death and distruction
The Lunda , (thanks to the meddling of Ezra Peabody and company who under the veil of night threaten the heathen Lunda's with hell fire and brimstone if they do not convert to christianity) runaway from suseshi to their definite death before being properly treated for small pox.
- The pompous missionaries ( Hannah Rothschild ) are just like the biblical pharisees; outwardly appearing to do the Lord's work but in actual fact are doing the devils work
- Than profane - armed with a scalpel, brash arrogance, narcissistic tendencies, determination and the 'Gospel Of Medicine' in the eyes of his Quaker detractors ( Orville Fotch , Hannah Rothschild et al) is an agent of the dark lord satan but in the grand scheme of things though being callous and unorthodox manages to do the Lords work and as he left suseshi he single handedly brings in 3 times more converts in 7 years than all the Quakers combined in decades
Characterisation
Dr. Than Profane
Prone to profanity and is a heathen
Blashemous and has total disrespect for organised religion
Never says a prayer throughout the whole book despite his status as a missionary - even in the most trying times he never utters a single prayer word i.e
After being attached by a leopard
Before and after Lukes death
During the Balunda siege
He is immediately controversial and unorthodox : wears revealing dress and is shirtless during dinner and swearing infront of Quaker ladies
Cunning and Practical : to avert a potentially explosive situation he exchanges mulaisho's still born baby for a live healthy one whose mother did not want him/her as she simply had too many children and could not look after any more
A medicine man : Than lives eats and breathes medicine and will do anything for medicine even crossing the moral barriers that medical ethics entail.
Dr. Profane's breach of medical ethics
Initially practices medicine without a Northern Rhodesia leave to do so
Administers analgesics during child birth in blatant violation of Quaker regulations and moral dogmas
Administers some to a native girl and guilt trips Matthew Tomlinson to give him the go ahead to do so.
Dr. Jerome Dooley - while delivering jennifer solomon refuses to use a painkiller but Than Profane administers one anyway
Plays God and tries to terminate Jenny Solomon's baby - abortion being a capital sin according to Quaker standard operating procedure.
Performs a blatantly heathen and Antichrist 'Blood Brotherhood' ritual, trains as a witchdoctor, entertains heathen divination and does not preach the word of Christ
Has a fiery temperament : attacks Fauntleroy : time and time again puts the Quaker ladies in their place : gets into a trance like state and is blinded by rage when he sees Carl Steiner with Suzannah at the ball.
Nicknamed 'NJUMWAICE' loosely translated to mean 'cowboy' which is the name he uses among natives. Partly bacause he always wears a stetson. The cowboy name is fitting because he lives loose, reckless and fast and has a behaivour not unlike that of the cowboys from the wild wild west.
Manipulative - manipulates matthew to attend heathen divination , a heathen bloodbrotherhood pact and to greenlight the use of painkillers during labour.
Medical God - in the end crucified at the hands of the Quakers and leaves his beloved suseshi and his one true love - a blind Jennifer Solomon.
The Theme Of Sexuality in the Book
Than Profane is a very sexual being and during the course of the book, in addition to the untold others that he has slept with - he slept with the following
Lucy O'connor
Mandy Mansfield
Suzannah McQueen
Jennifer Solomon
Ingrid Wikstrom (there was no penetration but Than ejaculated)
Than's unbridled sexuality led him to desire (or be aroused by) people whom it would be scandalous for him to have sex with , here are a few examples
Jayne Profane ( step sister)
Katherine ( step-mother)
Mrs McQueen (mother-in-law)
Though very sexually adventurous Than is against sleeping with black women and never ever tries to bed a native. He hates interracial sex and tells Suzannah that the body of a white women should be a mystery to and remain unknown to the black man. That is the only racist thing about Than Profane.
He is not homosexual and shies from just merely being touched by another male person. Than even becomes violent when touched by a male person.
Suzannah is the ultimate personification of Than's sexuality - superficial, frustrating, worldly, unfaithful, purely physical, exciting-as-sin, beautiful and all all encompassing.
Given the status of being a sex fiend how is it possible that Than was able to go for very long periods of time( at one time an excess of 6 months) at suseshi without having sex? Gloria Keverne doesn't say - but I think Than used 'sexual transmutation' and indirectly sated his sexual desire by driving himself hard while working medicine and caring for his patients. This greatly reduced his carnal need.
According to a witchdoctor Than Profane will have 5 children in his lifetime , arguably these could be
Pre-Suseshi era
CHILD 1 : aborted in the USA by Than Profane
CHILD 2 : is a girl in the USA who thinks Than is her uncle
Suseshi era
CHILD 3 : Luke, mothered by blind Jenny Solomon who dies prepubescent. Only Than, Jenny and Matthew Tomlinson know who the father is.
Post Suseshi era
CHILD 4 : mothered by Suzannah against all odds - she was medically declared unable to conceive , she tried suicide, a botched abortion but still the baby survived. Paternity might be questionable given suzannah's dalliance with Carl Steiner, her work in the porn industry and her general promiscuity.
CHILD 5 : might be mothered by Suzannah or than might have an affair in San Franscisco or one of his old mistresses (lucy o'connor or mandy mansfield) might conceive.......theres a lot of possibilities here
Questions
If Than had not been traped into marrying Suzannah by McQueen would he have married? He doesn't strike me as the marrying type. And would he have come clean and admitted to all the Quakers that Luke was his son and lived with blind Jenny Solomon?
What use did Than put that secret notebook that he used to note down Kwoyisho's herbal fomulae while training as a witchdoctor? Are we reaping the benefit of that book this day - has mordern medicine assimilated some of those achaic panaceas?
How does the title "A man cannot cry" related to the story? Is there some arcane meaning or significance?
Does anyone have any ebook version of this book?
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