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Tambu and Nhamo's father. Jeremiah is lazy, self-indulgent, and likes to drink, all of which makes him a disgrace in the eyes of Babamukuru. Worst of all, Jeremiah isn't Christian; he suggests several times that the family hire a medium to drive out evil spirits and he also expresses interest in taking a second wife. When Tambu is a child, Jeremiah is a major villain in her life. He doesn't want to work for the money to send Tambu to school and doesn't want to let Tambu work for it either. Though he supports Nhamo in his schooling, he doesn't believe that educating Tambu will be a good investment for him, given that her career will only benefit him until she marries. He's often angry about Tambu's headstrong nature and her desire to be treated like an equal, though he can never find the energy to punish or beat her for being so forward. When it comes to larger family matters, Jeremiah defers to Babamukuru, whom he idolizes and fears. He agrees with whatever Babamukuru says, which is why Tambu is allowed to go to the mission school and then to Sacred Heart. Because he and Mainini never married in the Christian sense when they first began living together, Babamukuru decides to throw them a big Christian wedding so that God will stop punishing the family. Jeremiah is a difficult and domineering husband both before and after the wedding; Tambu notes that he broke Mainini's spirit early and continues to keep her down by refusing to work and bullying her.
Jeremiah Quotes in Nervous Conditions
The Nervous Conditions quotes below are all either spoken by Jeremiah or refer to Jeremiah. 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:
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Chapter One
Quotes
Perhaps I am making it seem as though Nhamo simply decided to be obnoxious and turned out to be good at it, when in reality that was not the case; when in reality he was doing no more than behave, perhaps extremely, in the expected manner. The needs and sensibilities of the women in my family were not considered a priority, or even legitimate.
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Chapter Two
Quotes
My father thought I should not mind. "Is that anything to worry about? Ha-a-a, it's nothing," he reassured me, with his usual ability to jump whichever way was easiest. "Can you cook books and feed them to your husband? Stay at home with your mother. Learn to cook and clean. Grow vegetables."
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"When there are sacrifices to be made, you are the one who has to make them. And these things are not easy […] As if it is ever easy. And these days it is worse, with the poverty of blackness on one side and the weight of womanhood on the other."
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He thought I was emulating my brother, that the things I read would fill my mind with impractical ideas, making me quite useless for the real tasks of feminine living. It was a difficult time for him because Mr. Matimba had shown him that in terms of cash my education was an investment, but then in terms of cattle so was my conformity.
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Chapter Eight
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Naturally I was angry with him for having devised this plot which made such a joke of my parents, my home and myself. And just as naturally I could not be angry with him since surely it was sinful to be angry with Babamukuru.
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Jeremiah Quotes in Nervous Conditions
The Nervous Conditions quotes below are all either spoken by Jeremiah or refer to Jeremiah. 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:
).
Chapter One
Quotes
Perhaps I am making it seem as though Nhamo simply decided to be obnoxious and turned out to be good at it, when in reality that was not the case; when in reality he was doing no more than behave, perhaps extremely, in the expected manner. The needs and sensibilities of the women in my family were not considered a priority, or even legitimate.
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Chapter Two
Quotes
My father thought I should not mind. "Is that anything to worry about? Ha-a-a, it's nothing," he reassured me, with his usual ability to jump whichever way was easiest. "Can you cook books and feed them to your husband? Stay at home with your mother. Learn to cook and clean. Grow vegetables."
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"When there are sacrifices to be made, you are the one who has to make them. And these things are not easy […] As if it is ever easy. And these days it is worse, with the poverty of blackness on one side and the weight of womanhood on the other."
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He thought I was emulating my brother, that the things I read would fill my mind with impractical ideas, making me quite useless for the real tasks of feminine living. It was a difficult time for him because Mr. Matimba had shown him that in terms of cash my education was an investment, but then in terms of cattle so was my conformity.
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Chapter Eight
Quotes
Naturally I was angry with him for having devised this plot which made such a joke of my parents, my home and myself. And just as naturally I could not be angry with him since surely it was sinful to be angry with Babamukuru.
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