Character Analysis

After reading a good section of Tears of the Desert, I have gotten a good feel for who the author Halima Bashir is. So far, the memoir has just elaborated on her childhood growing up in Sudan in the Zaghawa Tribe, which is split into three clans; Towhir, Coube, and Bidayat. Their family of 6 (so far), Halima, her Grandma Abu, Father Abdul or Okiramaj, Mother Eya, and brothers Mohammed and Omer are one of the wealthier families in the village. Their great fortune, her father believes, is due to the birth of Halima and her white eyelash spotted at birth. Being the first child, Halima and her father have bonded the most. Her name, coming from the medicine woman who saved her father's life, means a lot in the Bashir house, or bah in Zaghawa. The nickname Rathebe was given to Halima as well by her father. Halima's dark dark skin and tameless hair sets her apart from most of the young girls in the tribe, including her best friend Kadiga. However, Halima enjoys the different look because it makes her feel independent. Most of the girls wear simple clothes, always barefoot and their hair in special braids. Halima is a fighter with speed, just like her grandma, but is still a young girl who cuddles up to her mum and father. In the Zaghawa tribe it is a tradition to get marked on your face, but Halima has yet to have it done, as I have only read to her age of 8. From my understanding of the index, Halima will continue to explain her life as it progresses, so I am excited to see who she grows to be. At the end of the first chapter, Halima writes "When my father told me "and who knows, maybe one day you will be a healer just like the village medicine woman Halima," My father didn't know it, but his words were a prophecy of the future." This foreshadowing tells me Halima will make change to the horrors of Darfur.