James Coleman
The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency
Journals
Every man has a map in his heart of his own country and that the heart will never allow you to forget this map”(18).
Alexander McCall Smith uses the characters, especially Mma Ramotswe in his novel to explain to his readers the importance of home. He reminds them that each person has a home and for Mma Ramotswe, his main character, that home is in Botswana. She is very true to her country and loves it despite its flaws, which all homes are bound to have.
Each person has a home. This point is emphasized over and over again in the novel, and the author uses multiple analogies to drive it home. Here, he uses the picture of a map of one’s own country always being in their heart. That made me think that no matter where I go for school, I will always have a “map in my heart” that will lead me back home. For me, that home is wherever my family is. I have lived in many places and each of them hold a special place in my heart but my true home is simply with my family.
“That is the problem with governments these days. The want to do things all the time; they are always very busy thinking of what things they can do next. That is not what people want”(20-21).
Mma Ramotswe sees this as the problem with the government in Botswana. They always want to be busy. The issue with this is that people do not always want a busy government, people often like to simply be left alone.
This quote also relates directly to the government in the United States today. They are always trying to think of things to do next, which is good because that is the only way that our country can advance. But, I often think that people need to slow down and focus on fixing the little things in their own hometowns or the small problems within the government or economic system before they move on to the larger issues.
“We are always there. But we are just women, and nobody sees us”(34).
This quote describes the general consensus about women in the Botswana culture. They are not necessarily looked down upon but are not respected either. Women are always there, but are not a prominent part of daily social interactions, and are held in lower esteem than women in various other countries.
Understanding the role of women in other cultures is difficult because of the freedom that we experience here in America. Women have fought long and hard to achieve equality and the battle is still ongoing. Because of the opportunities available to all women in the United States, it is impossible to imagine those rights being nonexistent, as they are in Botswana.
“Talking about pumpkins doesn't make them grow”(85).
At this point in the novel, Mma Ramotswe is explaining to her audience that life’s difficulties are not resolved by idle talk. The author also uses pumpkin in this quote to allude to problems or situations in life.
This is my favorite quote from the novel because it leaves the connotation of pumpkin up to the reader and makes them infer that talk really does not solve anything. Instead, one must take action in order to see a problem or situations through to the end. Mma Ramotswe is exactly the kind of down to earth woman that I would expect to hear this kind of advice from, and it is something that everyone needs to hear because there is way too much talk and not enough action in our society today.
“In the final analysis, that was what solved these big problems of life. You could think and think and get nowhere, but you still had to eat your pumpkin”(85).
Again the author uses the illustration of pumpkin to teach his readers a life lesson. He reminds them, using the character of Mma Ramotswe, that thinking and worrying will not change the situation and that one still has to live their life and do the simple things, such as eat your pumpkin.
I interpret this quote as “Life goes on”. Mma Ramotswe uses the analogy of a pumpkin to relay her message in simple terms, but she is really explaining to the reader that overthinking is too common and too many people fall into that trap. Life goes on whether or not you are worrying about a problem. Stressing does not help you or the situation and life will still happen regardless of your thought process.
“I am just a tiny person in Africa, but there is a place for me, and for everybody, to sit down on this earth and touch it and call it their own”(124).
Mma Ramotswe explains to the readers at this point that there is a place for everyone on this earth. The author uses her character to impress upon his audience the reality of what she is saying. While she is from Botswana, the author uses her to relate to every single person who opens his book.
In this passage, the author uses the image of Mma Ramotswe being a tiny person in Africa to give his readers a similar feeling as they think about their place in their particular town, state, country, “or world. We are all small people living in a big world, but Mma Ramotswe makes the point that each person will have some place to call their own. Whether or not that person has a big or small place, it is still something for them to connect with and they can be proud to have a spot to call their own.
“If more women were in power, they wouldn't let wars break out," she said. "Women can't be bothered with all this fighting. We see war for what it is- a matter of broken bodies and crying mothers”(127).
The author uses this quote in the novel to reflect the protagonist’s ideas that women would be very capable in power. Mma Ramotswe says that women see war for what is is, and not the glorified display of masculinity that it can become. I think that this could also be a subtle description of the author's feelings about war and about politics.
I completely agree with this quote and know that women would indeed be quite capable in power. Women do not see war in the same light that men do. To men I think that war can become a way to prove their masculinity and parade it around, but women see it for what it truly is. Pain and suffering. Wars only hurt those who are involved and women seem to be the only ones to see that sometimes. I wonder if we would have less wars if more women were in power?
“‘I’m very pleased’, said Mma Ramotswe. ‘And maybe he’s learned a lesson too. A very interesting lesson…’That lightning always strikes the same place twice…’’(131).
At this point in the novel, Mma Ramotswe has solved the case of a stolen car. She actually stole the car back and got it returned to its rightful owner. When talking to the wife of the thief, she says this quote. Again, as he does throughout the novel, the author uses each of Mma Ramotswe’s cases to teach his readers a new life lesson.
When I first read this quote I was confused about its meaning. I know that it is physically almost impossible for lightning to strike the same place twice, but yet Mma Ramotswe says that it always does. I think that this quote is simply a more glorified version of what goes around comes around, or karma. I interpret it as saying that if you do something bad, the lightning will strike you again or you will see the consequences of your actions.
“She remembered somebody saying that at night we are all strangers, even to ourselves, and this struck her as being true”(160).
After discussing witchdoctors for a case during the day, Mma Ramotswe found the darkness of the night to be unnerving. She said that we are all strangers even to ourselves, and I think that while she was scared of whatever was lurking in the dark, she was also scared of not being in charge.
People have an innate fear of the dark. It stems, I believe, from the stories of monsters under the bed when we were little and also the negative connotations associated with dark colors. If you think about it, have you ever seen a horror movie filmed during the day? No, because the dark is where the monsters are and where we are unsure of what is real and what is our imagination taking over our thoughts.
“How sorry she felt for white people, who couldn’t do any of this, and who were always dashing around and worrying themselves over things that were going to happen anyway”(162).
“Any of this” in the quote refers to relaxing on the front porch, planting a garden, chatting with neighbors, and simply enjoying life. Mma Ramotswe never sees any white people doing any of these things so she feels bad for them because all they do is dash around and worry.
Mma Ramotswe is definitely right about white people in this quote. She feels bad for them because they constantly dash around and worry about things that are going to happen. This also relates back to the pumpkin quote in saying that life goes on and worrying will not help or change the course of events. Dashing and worrying are exactly what people seem to fill their days with. Our world is occupied by people who do not focus on the little things and never stop to enjoy simple moments. Instead, they are busy and thinking of what is next every second of the day.
“Boys, men," she said. "They're all the same. They think that this [their manhood] is something special and they're all so proud of it. They do not know how ridiculous it is”(165).
At this point in the story, Mma Ramotswe is recovering after her first husband left her. He turned abusive and she ended up pregnant which led him to beat her violently and then leave. She says that men do not know how ridiculous they can be and that they seem to be so proud of something so futile.
Even though his books are told from the perspective of a female protagonist, it surprised me that Alexander McCall Smith would include a statement like this in his novel. For him to include this is humble and at least he acknowledges the truth in what he says. Boys can be so caught up in their own “manhood” and men are the same way. This also made me think of the quote that I discussed earlier about war, and how it is simply a glorification of masculinity.
“There was so much suffering in Africa that it was tempting just to shrug your shoulders and walk away. But you can't do that, she thought. You just can't”(172).
This quote explains Mma Ramotswe’s character. She starts her detective agency in order to help people and that is exactly what she does. She is unable to walk away when she knows that others are in need. This character is what leads her to accept many different cases and become widely known in Botswana.
Sometimes it is hard to shoulder the weight or the world, and people often advise against exactly that. But if everyone takes an equal share of the weight than it will not be so heavy after all and if one person decides to walk away than it becomes heavier for everyone else. Walking away from problems is tempting, but it will not solve them. The solution is never easy, and there is suffering everywhere, but there will always be an answer and it may be hard to find but it will be there.
“I told him that if a man is born in a dry place, then although he may dream of rain, he does not want too much, and that he will not mind the sun that beats down and down”(174).
The author uses this quote to explain the Batswana’s attitude about their homeland. Most of them were so used to the dry and hot climate of their country that they did not ever wish for something else. This is how Mma Ramotswe feels about her country, she loves Botswana and does not wish for anything else.
This quote reminds me of being thankful for what you have and not always wishing for more. Each person grew up in a different atmosphere and each of them is happy, to an extent, with what they have.
“Mma Ramotswe did not like lying, but sometimes it was necessary, particularly when faced with people who were promoted beyond their talents”(178).
This quote again exemplifies Mma Ramotswe’s character by showing that she was not afraid to bend the rules when dealing with interesting characters. It most likely is also an example of the author’s view, as books tend to have a personal bias from the author.
I do not like lying either, but I understand what Mma Ramotswe means when she says dealing with people promoted beyond their talents. It is so frustrating to deal with people who are not good at the job that they do. This is obviously because they were promoted beyond what they were actually capable of, and that is the most frustrating thing to deal with. I find this to be a very clear example of Mma Ramotswe’s character and know that it added to the story and how she goes about solving her cases.
“You can go through life and make new friends every year—every month practically—but there was never any substitute for those friendships of childhood that survive into adult years. Those are the ones in which we are bound to one another with hoops of steel”(183).
As the novel begins, Mma Ramotswe does not have any extremely close childhood friends, but she soon becomes friends with her newly hired secretary Grace Makutsi and also J.L.B. Maketoni, who owns a car garage. These two people become her closest friends and they are very important. Mma Ramotswe echoes the sentiment of the author in this passage, which makes me wonder if he has a close friends whom he has known for many years.
Friendships are so important and it is rare that you find someone that you can be truly close with. I first experienced that true bond of friendship when I met Katie Jo Gebhardt. We became closer during the first few years that I lived in Salmon and now it feels like I have known her my entire life. She is without a doubt my closest friend and is someone that I know I can trust with anything. She is the person that I thought of when I read this quote and it also made me think how lucky I am to have a friend like her. Friendships are important and it is crucial that each person treasure them and strive to nurture and grow them because life is so much better when you get to experience it together.