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The Young Sudanese Woman
In “David,” the older Sudanese woman, whose name is later revealed to be Asha, is a Sudanese refugee who moved to Australia to escape her country’s violent civil war. In flashbacks, the reader gradually learns Asha’s backstory. During the Sudanese Civil War, two years after enemy soldiers took Asha’s husband, soldiers attacked her village, forcing Asha, her friend Amina, and their families to flee. Amid this chaos, Asha’s young son, David, broke free from Asha to retrieve his beloved bike. Later, Asha watched as a group of soldiers shot and killed David as he David happily pedaled his bike away from his burning village. Though Asha has a new husband and a safe, stable life in Melbourne, she continues to grieve her son. When she crosses paths with a younger Sudanese woman walking a bike down the street, she starts asking the younger woman prying questions about the woman’s bike and personal life. Though the younger woman takes Asha’s questions as judgment—something she gets a lot of from her own immigrant elders—in reality, Asha is only interested in the bike, which makes her feel close to her dead son. Though the younger woman doesn’t understand everything Asha has gone through, she pushes aside her skepticism and lets Asha ride the bike, a meaningful experience that lets Asha pay homage to David and work through her trauma. In the end, the women overcome their generational and cultural differences and have a moment of unspoken, mutual understanding, as evidenced by the younger woman’s decision to rename her bike “David,” in honor of Asha’s son.
Asha (The Older Sudanese Woman) Quotes in Foreign Soil
The Foreign Soil quotes below are all either spoken by Asha (The Older Sudanese Woman) or refer to Asha (The Older Sudanese Woman). For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
David
Quotes
I felt awkward, had no idea what she was talking about, but felt like I was somehow supposed to. Auntie took up her grocery bag from the ground, smoothed some dirt from her skirt, walked away slowly, down toward West Footscray Station.
I stood there for a minute, staring after her. The rain had stopped. A small puddle of water had settled in the baby seat. Nile would be getting testy. It was half an hour past when I usually collected him. I threw my leg over the bike, started pedaling down the street. The Barkly Star was a dream to maneuver—smooth gliding, killer suspension, sharp brakes. Felt like I was hovering above the wet tar, flying. Like there was nothing else in the world except me and my wheels. David. I slowly rolled her brand-new name around in my mouth.
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Gaps in the Hickory
Quotes
Denver ain’t her no more. He jus the man her best friend Izzy married then split from. He jus somebody she used-a know, long time ago. The real her was born when she came to Orleans. Real her is Delores.
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Asha (The Older Sudanese Woman) Quotes in Foreign Soil
The Foreign Soil quotes below are all either spoken by Asha (The Older Sudanese Woman) or refer to Asha (The Older Sudanese Woman). For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
David
Quotes
I felt awkward, had no idea what she was talking about, but felt like I was somehow supposed to. Auntie took up her grocery bag from the ground, smoothed some dirt from her skirt, walked away slowly, down toward West Footscray Station.
I stood there for a minute, staring after her. The rain had stopped. A small puddle of water had settled in the baby seat. Nile would be getting testy. It was half an hour past when I usually collected him. I threw my leg over the bike, started pedaling down the street. The Barkly Star was a dream to maneuver—smooth gliding, killer suspension, sharp brakes. Felt like I was hovering above the wet tar, flying. Like there was nothing else in the world except me and my wheels. David. I slowly rolled her brand-new name around in my mouth.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Gaps in the Hickory
Quotes
Denver ain’t her no more. He jus the man her best friend Izzy married then split from. He jus somebody she used-a know, long time ago. The real her was born when she came to Orleans. Real her is Delores.
