Mariatu Kamara's Life In The Bite Of The Mango

Not many could say that Mariatu Kamara’s life depicted in the novel, The Bite of the Mango was easy, but nevertheless ended with extraordinary accomplishments. Getting brutally tortured, raped, and hands severed is a large feat to overcome, and yet Mariatu grew to learn and accept her new life after the attack. As British novelist, Fay Weldon stated, “The writers, I do believe, who get the best and most lasting response from readers are the writers who offer a happy ending through moral development.” Mariatu did not physically experience a tremendous, fortunate event after the rebels attacked, but still managed to move on and endure the physical and emotional pain to succeed in life. When a character reconsiders their beliefs on events that have occurred in the past, they are experiencing moral reconciliation. Mariatu only hoped that she would die as she lied on the ground after the rebels attacked. She prayed, “Please let me die quickly. Let it be over quickly. Let my family,
if they have been captured by the rebels all die quickly, too.” (35) While enduring the agony and losing blood rapidly, Mariatu only wished to die, so she would not have to experience it any longer. It is clear that by the end of the novel, Mariatu is thankful to be alive to help the lives of other women and girls that are victims of war. Mariatu experienced moral reconciliation in the fact that she went from wanting death, to being appreciative for even surviving that horrific day. She knew that if she hadn’t lived through the attack, she would never have the opportunity to help people who have gone through similar circumstances. Her moral reconciliation is significant to the ending of the novel because it allowed her to overcome the hardships she experienced, and accept her life the way it was in order to support others. The events that occurred in Mariatu’s life changed her perspective of life in general. Her fight for survival and will to live was immensely altered once she realized that she could still run away from the rebels even without hands. Symbolically, the loss of her hands was mentally holding her back from feeling like she could ever go on. When she awoke on the grass, Mariatu expressed, “And then I thought about my life. I heard a voice in my head. ‘You will live,’ it said. ‘You will live.’” (43) Once she heard the voice in her head, Mariatu went through the realization that there was still hope, and continued to fight for her survival. Prior to this difficult time in her life, the only praying she had done was for material desires, such as a new dress. Mariatu’s spiritual life was solely based on her wants before the rebels came, and changed to praying for the survival of herself and others. Her praying also consisted of asking “Allah” to help make her a better person. Spiritual and moral reconciliation completely affects a person’s outlook on what is important in life.
It makes a person become stronger emotionally and physically. Mariatu was devastated from the loss of her hands, but later refused the use of prosthetic hands because of her internal strength and will. Mariatu came to the realization of what she should do with her life with her future. She stated, “I may not have hands, but I have a voice. And no matter how nice my home in Canada is, my first home will always be Sierra Leone. The heart of my country is the heart of the people who helped me see myself not as a victim, but as someone who could still do great things in this world.” (211) Martiatu used her voice to share her experiences with the world and speak for what the people of Sierra Leone had been through. As part of her moral reconciliation, she realized that she may have lost something physically, but gained the sense that her voice alone was enough to help
people. The devastating events in Mariatu’s life actually proved to make her a stronger person. She works to bring reconciliation and peace to others who have been through similar conflicts and wars. Although she experienced a severe physical loss, she gained more than that emotionally with her fight for survival and desire to help others. It is evident in the ending that Mariatu experienced moral and spiritual reassessment, that overall made her an influential person in others’ lives. She explained, “Something in me had changed. I knew now that I could look forward and back-without any regrets-at the same time.” (212)