I Heard The Owl Call My Name

After Christmas, Mark notices a feeling of unease in the village. Peter explains that it’s because the young people who are home from school return with the habits and the values of “the white man” (65) and are critical of the customs they grew up with. Mark meets Gordon, one of the boys who was away at school. Gordon shows Mark a valuable ceremonial mask that his father had once refused to sell for a large sum of money. Mark detects a wanderlust in Gordon, which Gordon confirms. In January, Keetah arrives at the vicarage and tells Mark that her grandmother, Mrs. Hudson, is ill. Mrs. Hudson tells him that Keetah’s sister has written to say that she is going to marry a white man, and Mrs. Hudson is distraught. When Keetah reassures her that her sister will never abandon them and become ashamed of the village, Mrs. Hudson replies, “Of this I am not afraid [...] What I fear is that we shall be ashamed of her” (65).