Nervous Conditions: Chapter Nine Summary & Analysis

One day late in the term, the teachers send students outside to study for their upcoming examinations. While Tambu and her classmates are outside, the Catholic nuns arrive. Tambu and her friends know that the Catholic church is superior to their own Protestant one because the nuns dedicate their lives to serving God, so they're very disappointed to see that the nuns look exactly like their Protestant missionaries. The nuns do smile beautifully at the children as they perform a dance and a play, and Tambu recites a poem at record speed.

Then, the nuns ask the students to sit for a test of "general knowledge and general ability." The students find this very unfair. After the test, the nuns speak to the students one by one and ask them questions about their parents and friends. Later, Tambu learns that the nuns came to recruit students for their own mission school. A few girls know how the Catholics operate: after a certain level the nuns persuade students to join the order by offering scholarships, so many girls join but then get pregnant to avoid actually taking vows.

Despite the rumors, everyone wants to go to the Catholic school. It's a prestigious multiracial girls' school with beautiful uniforms. The school is offering two places for all the African girls Tambu's age in the country. Because Tambu has been unwittingly "preparing" for the test for two years, thanks to Nyasha's extensive library and interesting thought experiments, she's accepted and offered a scholarship.

Tambu is thrilled, but Nyasha is disappointed. She insists that being educated at the Catholic school would assimilate Tambu into their culture. Tambu believes she's just being jealous when she says that the mission school is better, as it's common knowledge that the European schools have better teachers and equipment. Tambu believes that she won't forget the wedding, Nhamo, and the latrine, as those things are evidence of the burden of womanhood that crushes Mainini. Tambu believes going to the school will lighten those burdens.

Babamukuru agrees with Nyasha: he cites the fact that he needs to provide for Dambudzo, the only boy in Tambu's family, and insists that spending too much time with white people is bad, citing Nyasha as an example. He says that the mission will best prepare Tambu for marriage, which makes Tambu lose interest. He asks Maiguru if she has anything to add and surprisingly, she does. She doesn't believe that Tambu will be corrupted by the school and points out that twenty years ago, when she was at school in South Africa, everyone said that the women were loose because they were prejudiced against educated women. Today, she says, she doesn't even know what loose even means as it refers to so many evils, but that Tambu is decent and that won't change.

Babamukuru takes Tambu to the homestead for Christmas vacation the next day. He doesn't stay to discuss the Catholic school. Tambu waits impatiently for Christmas so they can discuss her schooling, but unfortunately, nobody comes to stay: Maiguru refuses to cook for two dozen people again, so Babamukuru drives to the homestead daily. Mainini is secretly thrilled, as she doesn't want to share her house or her Dover stove.

On New Year's Eve, Babamukuru and Jeremiah discuss Tambu's future. Babamukuru weighs the pros and cons but finally says that Tambu should go. Tambu feels dizzy and numb; this will be a step away from poverty, but also from her beloved river Nyamarira. She tells herself that the cost will balance, and it'll be worth it to buy her sisters dresses and make sure that Mainini is plump again.

Tambu loses herself in daydreams about her pretty new uniform and runs to tell Mainini. She finds Mainini in the kitchen, cooking on the hearth in spite of the Dover stove. Tambu shares the good news, but Mainini sighs bitterly. She asks if Babamukuru is trying to separate her from her children and send them to slaughter. She also says that if she were a witch, she'd curse Babamukuru.

Over the next few days, Mainini deteriorates. She barely eats and doesn't wash, and Dambudzo develops diarrhea. Worried about his son, Jeremiah takes the bus to the mission and comes home believing that Mainini is bottle feeding Dambudzo and not sanitizing the bottles properly. He suggests getting a medium, but Tambu refuses as she's afraid that Mainini will actually curse Babamukuru. Eventually, Jeremiah sends for Lucia. Lucia ignores Takesure and sets to work setting Mainini right.

First, Lucia walks Mainini to Nyamarira. To make Mainini get in the water and wash, she puts Dambudzo on a boulder in the river and threatens to leave him. Mainini wades in, washes herself and her baby, and Lucia washes their dresses. The women then have to sit and wait for the dresses to dry, during which time other happy women stop to chat and visit. In the evening, Lucia cooks a meaty stew just for Mainini, and the women sleep together in the kitchen. Lucia stays for two more days to feed and talk with Mainini and then heads back to the mission. Mainini seems fully recovered after a week.

In the third week of January, Babamukuru refuses to fetch Tambu, so she takes the bus to the mission. Tambu has only one night at the mission before going to Sacred Heart. Tambu is impatient to talk with Nyasha, who is still in class when she arrives. However, by early evening, Nyasha hasn't come home. Tambu runs to the netball field where she sees her friends playing. They all watch her coolly and ignore her, and Tambu doesn't understand why. They only talk to Tambu when she fails to make a goal. However, one of Tambu's friends rudely says that she's wasting their time with the game, since they don't play netball at Sacred Heart.

Several of the other girls ask Tambu to write and ask her to not forget them. Tambu wonders why everyone thinks she's going to forget them as she wanders through the school to look for Nyasha. She finds her in her classroom, studying, and Nyasha barely greets Tambu. Tambu sits down and waits. Finally, Nyasha says that it's been good having Tambu around and that she'll miss her. They head home for supper in silence.

Babamukuru isn't in a good mood. He takes offense to Nyasha's late arrival, accuses her of spending time with boys, and won't allow her to skip dinner. Nyasha eats a few bites, but Babamukuru insists she eat all of it. Nyasha shovels her food into her mouth and Babamukuru excuses her. A few minutes later, Tambu excuses herself and waits in the bedroom, listening to Nyasha gagging in the bathroom. When Nyasha comes into the bedroom, she admits that she made herself vomit and doesn't know why. Nyasha says that Babamukuru might be right to dislike her, but she can't bring herself to give into him.

Tambu puts her arm around Nyasha as Nyasha talks on. She laments that Tambu is leaving, as now, she won't have anyone to laugh about Babamukuru with. She says that she tries to see things from his point of view, but she can never make herself be good and obedient for long.