Nervous Conditions: Chapter Five Summary & Analysis

For a while after Maiguru leaves, Nyasha pointedly reads and ignores Tambu. Eventually the girls begin looking sideways at each other and finally, Nyasha laughs. They talk about school and then, Nyasha says seriously that she's glad they'll be friends. She admits that she was worried since Tambu was rude when she returned from England. Tambu, speaking in Shona, says she was just disappointed that Nyasha and Chido only spoke to Nhamo. Shyly, Nyasha admits that she was frightened, as she'd forgotten what home was like. Tambu tells the reader that this is how their friendship began, and says that her relationship with Nyasha was much like a love affair—it was the first time she loved someone that she didn't approve of.

Morosely, Nyasha says that she and Chido shouldn't have gone to England, as Babamukuru and Maiguru are now "stuck with hybrids for children" and don't like them. Tambu tells Nyasha that she should still be respectful to Maiguru. Nyasha says bitterly that Maiguru doesn't want to be respected; if she did, she'd have nothing to complain about. Tambu is sure that Nyasha is wrong, as Maiguru is kind and concerned for everyone.

Tambu doesn't have a chance to explain this to Nyasha, as Anna appears and kneels in the door. Nyasha snaps at her to stand up, but Anna tells the girls that supper is ready and then disappears. Nyasha deems Tambu clean enough to go to dinner but shows her the toilet anyway. Tambu squats on the seat and then heads towards the dining room. She's concerned about how early it is; she fears that she won't stay full.

Tambu enters the dining room. The table is covered with serving dishes, and Nyasha sits at one end, reading. Nyasha puts her book away when Maiguru comes in. Seated, the women say grace, and then Babamukuru arrives, annoyed that they started without him. He grunts in response to their queries about his day, and then Maiguru begins to help Babamukuru serve himself. Babamukuru gets to the third dish and discovers that Anna forgot to make gravy. Nyasha leaps up to make it, and Maiguru puts the rest of the food in the warmer.

Maiguru shows Babamukuru Nyasha's copy of Lady Chatterley's Lover. Babamukuru insists that his daughter won't read such an inappropriate book and takes it away. When he returns, Maiguru says that she was going to let Nyasha read it, but Babamukuru reprimands her for spoiling the children. Nyasha returns with the gravy and Maiguru insists that Babamukuru serve himself fresh food. Nyasha rudely starts to serve herself before Babamukuru is through and insists that she doesn't like cold food.

Tambu eyes the meal and is concerned, as the food looks interesting, and she knows that food should be filling, not interesting. None of it will go down right, and she struggles to use her knife and fork. After a few minutes, Maiguru rings a bell and asks Anna to bring sadza and a spoon for Tambu. Tambu finds all of this embarrassing.

Nyasha realizes that her book is gone and wonders if she forgot it somewhere. She pushes back to go check in the bedroom, but Maiguru scolds her to stay put and to not talk about the book. Nyasha accuses her mother of taking her book and then immediately apologizes. However, she becomes increasingly distraught until Babamukuru steps in and scolds her. Nyasha talks back and leaves the table, ignoring his angry protests. After she leaves, Babamukuru mutters that there's something wrong with Nyasha to behave like that. Maiguru comforts him and points out that he did take her book. Tambu, feeling very uncomfortable, finishes her meal and excuses herself.

Nyasha invites Tambu to come outside so she can smoke a cigarette. Tambu is aghast and feels that Nyasha is beyond redemption, and she insists she wants to stay inside and read. In reality, she's terrified that Babamukuru would die of shock or kill Nyasha if he saw the cigarette. Nyasha waves at her bookshelf and heads outside.

A few minutes later, Anna kneels in the doorway and tells Tambu that she's wanted in the living room. She uses an honorific to address Tambu, which Tambu finds distressing. She thinks that Anna never used to use it and really shouldn't, since she's older than Tambu. Tambu is also perplexed that Anna went from a talkative person to someone who barely talks. Tambu believes that the change must be her fault and it makes her feel strange and unfamiliar. She roughly tells Anna to just talk to her, but Anna gets up and leaves without responding.

Tambu nervously walks into the living room. When Babamukuru asks her to sit, she initially sits respectfully on the floor in the corner. When he asks her to sit on a seat, she struggles to choose where to sit: there's room on the sofa next to Maiguru and an armchair next to Babamukuru, but both would be too close to her uncle to be respectful. Tambu decides to take the chair across from Babamukuru and spends the next two minutes questioning her decision.

Babamukuru talks about how he often spends evenings in his office instead of at home. Tambu thinks that he looks impressive when he talks like this; she notes that throughout his life, he's had the power to organize his world however he likes, and everyone listens to him. Tambu feels immense gratitude as he tells her how much he's sacrificing to take the evening off to speak to her and pay her school fees. In closing, he explains that Tambu will need to be a good student and become a good woman so she can have a good future and raise up her family. He asks Maiguru if she has anything to add. She doesn't, so Babamukuru excuses Tambu.

As Tambu returns to the bedroom, she vows to be like Babamukuru: hardworking, straight, and true. Nyasha is already in bed and asks Tambu to turn off the light, saying she can't sleep with it on. Tambu's ability to sleep with light makes her feel superior, so she pulls off her dress and jumps into bed. When Nyasha asks about the light, Tambu ignores her but recognizes she also doesn't know how to turn it off. Nyasha climbs out of bed, calls Tambu a peasant (though Tambu hears "pheasant" and feels even more offended) and shows her how to switch the light on and off.

After Nyasha gets back into bed, she notes that Tambu didn't put her bedclothes on and says she'll have to do it in the dark. This makes Tambu's smugness disappear, and she suddenly feels inadequate. Tambu falls asleep quickly and then dreams of Nhamo. He dribbles a ball through a cornfield and eats cobs. Tambu, watching from a desk at the end of the field, begs Nhamo to stop but discovers that she's holding a cigarette. The dream turns to a nightmare when Nhamo accuses Tambu of deserting her husband. Babamukuru and his vicious dogs come to take Tambu back to her husband.

Tambu wakes up halfway to the bathroom. She runs herself a bath and scrubs herself three times just to enjoy feeling clean. Tambu finishes her bath when Maiguru knocks and then generously runs Nyasha's bath for her. Tambu makes note of what Nyasha is wearing and finds what must be bedclothes when she returns to her room. After Tambu dresses, she admires herself in her school uniform. She's shocked to see that she's pretty, and when Nyasha returns from her bath, she confirms this assessment.

Tambu struggles to eat at breakfast. She's impatient to be at school where she knows she can succeed. She watches Nyasha eat bacon and eggs and refuse porridge on the grounds that it might make her fat. Maiguru worries over Tambu and finally, gives her a shilling to buy buns at break. This is a lot of money and Tambu is embarrassed, but she puts it in her sock and decides to bring it home at lunch. She does her best to imitate Nyasha's walk on the way to school.

Addressing the reader, Tambu says that this is the beginning of her period of reincarnation. She devours Nyasha's library of nineteenth-century novels. Nyasha is dismissive, as she's interested in history and current events. However, Nyasha still makes suggestions, and, on the weekends, she paints Tambu's nails and cooks with her. Soon, Tambu realizes that Nyasha doesn't have many friends at school. Girls make fun of Nyasha behind her back and accuse her of acting too white, proud, and loose.

Fortunately, Tambu escapes Nyasha's fate. Though she quickly becomes fluent in English, she doesn't have a British accent. Boys are uninterested in her, and she refuses to accompany Nyasha to school dances. The teachers love Tambu as well. All of this is very strange for Tambu. The only normal thing is that she continues to do well in school, as Babamukuru and Maiguru give her the time and the space to study.

With so much food at hand, Tambu becomes plump and begins to menstruate. Mainini had already given Tambu reusable napkins. However, Tambu finds that washing them is embarrassing and is even more mortified when Nyasha offers her tampons. Nyasha teases her that it's better to lose her virginity to a tampon than a man and says that men keep hymens as trophies. When Tambu finally realizes that Nyasha was just teasing, she starts to use the tampons and finds she likes them. Nyasha assures Tambu that despite the expense of tampons and the fact that nice girls don't use them, Maiguru would rather buy them than have either girl get pregnant.

Tambu thinks that Nyasha is perplexing: she has everything and should be content, but she isn't. Nyasha believes that Maiguru is trapped and miserable, which Tambu doesn't understand at all. Tambu says that she and other students find Nyasha superior; adults think she's a genius; and Babamukuru and Maiguru worry about her. Tambu privately agrees with her aunt and uncle and reasons that thinking critically is dangerous.

Despite this belief, Tambu engages in her own thought experiments. She thinks of Anna, who used to be interesting and is now just boring. Tambu also wonders about Maiguru, who seems to have every reason to be content in her beautiful life. Maiguru may be lonely, but Tambu reasons that none of the other women on the mission want to talk to someone so highly educated.

Tambu discovers how highly educated Maiguru is one Sunday. After church, Tambu meets up with Nyasha to chat with friends. Nyasha pointedly ignores her parents, as she still struggles to greet people properly and embarrasses Babamukuru. However, Tambu and Nyasha stand with Babamukuru and Maiguru on days that he drives to church so they can hitch a ride.

One morning, Tambu listens to her headmaster compliment Babamukuru on Nyasha, who he says will bring home a master's degree just like Maiguru. He also compliments Tambu, and the news that Maiguru has a master's degree piques Tambu's interest. Nyasha is slow and hesitant in greeting her former headmaster, which angers Babamukuru. On the drive home, he reprimands her for not being polite and then refuses to let her talk during dinner.

After dinner, Tambu finally asks Maiguru if she actually has a master's degree. Maiguru is flattered, though sarcastic when Tambu notes that people only say that she went to England to look after Babamukuru. Tambu, still awed, comments that Maiguru must earn lots of money and is aghast when Maiguru says she never receives her salary. Maiguru tries to force herself to look happy, but doesn't succeed. She sighs and explains that she had to choose between self and security. She says that the worst part is that nobody thinks of what she gave up. Tambu thinks it's a shame that Maiguru never got the opportunity to reach her full potential.

Tambu feels sorry for Maiguru because everything she said was reasonable: she's being prevented from reaching her full potential or using the money for her own desires because she's married. This is all complicated in Tambu's mind, however, because Maiguru is married to Babamukuru, which means that the marriage can't be bad. Tambu also can't quite figure out who her uncle is. He's seldom around, and when he is, they never laugh or even talk.