The Theory of Flight

by

Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu

Mother to Genie and partner to Golide Gumele, Elizabeth Nyoni is a self-confident, attractive woman who aspires to be a country singer and idolizes Dolly Parton. She meets Golide during a conflict implied to be the Zimbabwe War of Independence (1964-1979) and explains to him her life dream of traveling to Nashville, Tennessee, a dream he commits to realizing by someday building her wings. After Elizabeth and Golide have sex, Elizabeth lays a golden egg from which their daughter Genie eventually hatches. Raising Genie on the Beauford Farm and Estate, Elizabeth also acts maternally toward Genie’s friend Marcus, giving him a sense of belonging—until his parents Thandi and Dingani arrive to forcibly take him away. Though everyone on the Beauford Farm and Estate knows that Golide is building wings to fly Elizabeth to Nashville, skeptical parties such as paranoid political leader The Man Himself and journalist Bhekithemba Nyathi refuse to believe that romantic love could be Golide’s real motivation—skepticism that leads The Man Himself to send government soldiers to massacre the farm’s residents. During the massacre, Golide and Elizabeth fly away on silver wings—an image representing their deaths but also their internal freedom and moral triumph in the face of a politically oppressive government that cannot understand their aspirations.

Elizabeth Nyoni Quotes in The Theory of Flight

The The Theory of Flight quotes below are all either spoken by Elizabeth Nyoni or refer to Elizabeth Nyoni. 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:
Individual Aspiration vs. Group Belonging Theme Icon
).
Book 1, Part 1: Genealogy Quotes

Golide knew that building airplanes was a costly business—that being capable of flight would come at a price. Parts either had to be bought or manufactured, people had to be educated and trained and the state’s monopoly on manufacturing had to be destroyed and decentralized. These obstacles made Golide spend most of his time thinking of ways to make the people understand that they were still capable of flight, and at no cost to themselves.

Related Characters: Golide Gumele/Livingstone Stanley Tikiti, Elizabeth Nyoni, Beatrice Beit-Beauford
Related Symbols: Wings, Birds, and Eggs
Page Number: 11
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 1, Part 2: History Quotes

Well, Marcus Malcolm Martin Masuku, you can be friends with my Genie here if you promise me one thing. Can you promise me one thing? […] Promise me that you will not become a politician . . . promise me you will become a real revolutionary instead.

Related Characters: Elizabeth Nyoni (speaker), Genie/Imogen Zula Nyoni , Marcus Malcolm Martin Masuku, Thandi Hadebe, Dingani Masuku, The Man Himself
Page Number: 28
Explanation and Analysis:

“Do I have a father?”

“It depends.”

“On what?”

“On the future.”

Related Characters: Genie/Imogen Zula Nyoni (speaker), Elizabeth Nyoni (speaker), Golide Gumele/Livingstone Stanley Tikiti, Thandi Hadebe, Dingani Masuku
Page Number: 35
Explanation and Analysis:

We are your family now,” his new grandmother said, still not smiling. They all looked beautiful, the members of his family, but Marcus felt that their beauty was not to be trusted. It was a dangerous beauty. He was suddenly more terrified than he had ever been before. He let go of his bladder then, well aware that his urine would soil both his shorts and his mother’s shiny dress.

Related Characters: Eunice Masuku (speaker), Genie/Imogen Zula Nyoni , Marcus Malcolm Martin Masuku, Krystle Masuku, Thandi Hadebe, Dingani Masuku, Elizabeth Nyoni
Page Number: 46
Explanation and Analysis:

Bhekithemba did not believe in love, at least not in romantic love. He understood the love one had for one’s parents and one’s country—but that sort of love was born of respect and gratitude. It was a sort of giving back. There was a reason for that kind of love. It was only natural to love the things that had given you life, a sense of place, a feeling of belonging, a connection to things beyond yourself. You could not exist without those things and so of course you loved them. It was a selfish love: a love of self-preservation. Selfish love was understandable . . . reasonable. But romantic love had no reason.

Related Characters: Golide Gumele/Livingstone Stanley Tikiti, The Man Himself, Bhekithemba Nyathi, Elizabeth Nyoni
Related Symbols: Wings, Birds, and Eggs
Page Number: 57
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 2, Part 1: Epistemology Quotes

“You cannot break me. You see, I know for certain that my parents were capable of flight.”

Related Characters: Genie/Imogen Zula Nyoni (speaker), Golide Gumele/Livingstone Stanley Tikiti, Valentine Tanaka, Elizabeth Nyoni
Related Symbols: Wings, Birds, and Eggs
Page Number: 244
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 2, Part 2: Revelations Quotes

As they gang-raped, shot and pillaged their way through the compound, they had also, unbeknownst to themselves, found another way to decimate the compound. It did not have to be all of them who carried the disease. Just one—the result would have been the same.

And now to find out that Genie too . . .

Related Characters: Genie/Imogen Zula Nyoni , Golide Gumele/Livingstone Stanley Tikiti, Jestina Nxumalo, Elizabeth Nyoni
Page Number: 301-302
Explanation and Analysis:

Genie chooses this particular moment, with the survivors as her witnesses, to fly away on a giant pair of silver wings . . . and leave her heart behind to calcify into the most precious and beautiful something that the world has ever seen.

As the survivors watch her ascend she experiences love as the release of a promise long held.

Related Characters: Genie/Imogen Zula Nyoni , Vida de Villiers/Jesus, Golide Gumele/Livingstone Stanley Tikiti, Elizabeth Nyoni
Related Symbols: Wings, Birds, and Eggs
Page Number: 305
Explanation and Analysis:

This is where he belongs.

Related Characters: Genie/Imogen Zula Nyoni , Marcus Malcolm Martin Masuku, Krystle Masuku, Golide Gumele/Livingstone Stanley Tikiti, Thandi Hadebe, Dingani Masuku, Eunice Masuku, Elizabeth Nyoni, Esme Masuku
Page Number: 314
Explanation and Analysis:
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Elizabeth Nyoni Quotes in The Theory of Flight

The The Theory of Flight quotes below are all either spoken by Elizabeth Nyoni or refer to Elizabeth Nyoni. 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:
Individual Aspiration vs. Group Belonging Theme Icon
).
Book 1, Part 1: Genealogy Quotes

Golide knew that building airplanes was a costly business—that being capable of flight would come at a price. Parts either had to be bought or manufactured, people had to be educated and trained and the state’s monopoly on manufacturing had to be destroyed and decentralized. These obstacles made Golide spend most of his time thinking of ways to make the people understand that they were still capable of flight, and at no cost to themselves.

Related Characters: Golide Gumele/Livingstone Stanley Tikiti, Elizabeth Nyoni, Beatrice Beit-Beauford
Related Symbols: Wings, Birds, and Eggs
Page Number: 11
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 1, Part 2: History Quotes

Well, Marcus Malcolm Martin Masuku, you can be friends with my Genie here if you promise me one thing. Can you promise me one thing? […] Promise me that you will not become a politician . . . promise me you will become a real revolutionary instead.

Related Characters: Elizabeth Nyoni (speaker), Genie/Imogen Zula Nyoni , Marcus Malcolm Martin Masuku, Thandi Hadebe, Dingani Masuku, The Man Himself
Page Number: 28
Explanation and Analysis:

“Do I have a father?”

“It depends.”

“On what?”

“On the future.”

Related Characters: Genie/Imogen Zula Nyoni (speaker), Elizabeth Nyoni (speaker), Golide Gumele/Livingstone Stanley Tikiti, Thandi Hadebe, Dingani Masuku
Page Number: 35
Explanation and Analysis:

We are your family now,” his new grandmother said, still not smiling. They all looked beautiful, the members of his family, but Marcus felt that their beauty was not to be trusted. It was a dangerous beauty. He was suddenly more terrified than he had ever been before. He let go of his bladder then, well aware that his urine would soil both his shorts and his mother’s shiny dress.

Related Characters: Eunice Masuku (speaker), Genie/Imogen Zula Nyoni , Marcus Malcolm Martin Masuku, Krystle Masuku, Thandi Hadebe, Dingani Masuku, Elizabeth Nyoni
Page Number: 46
Explanation and Analysis:

Bhekithemba did not believe in love, at least not in romantic love. He understood the love one had for one’s parents and one’s country—but that sort of love was born of respect and gratitude. It was a sort of giving back. There was a reason for that kind of love. It was only natural to love the things that had given you life, a sense of place, a feeling of belonging, a connection to things beyond yourself. You could not exist without those things and so of course you loved them. It was a selfish love: a love of self-preservation. Selfish love was understandable . . . reasonable. But romantic love had no reason.

Related Characters: Golide Gumele/Livingstone Stanley Tikiti, The Man Himself, Bhekithemba Nyathi, Elizabeth Nyoni
Related Symbols: Wings, Birds, and Eggs
Page Number: 57
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 2, Part 1: Epistemology Quotes

“You cannot break me. You see, I know for certain that my parents were capable of flight.”

Related Characters: Genie/Imogen Zula Nyoni (speaker), Golide Gumele/Livingstone Stanley Tikiti, Valentine Tanaka, Elizabeth Nyoni
Related Symbols: Wings, Birds, and Eggs
Page Number: 244
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 2, Part 2: Revelations Quotes

As they gang-raped, shot and pillaged their way through the compound, they had also, unbeknownst to themselves, found another way to decimate the compound. It did not have to be all of them who carried the disease. Just one—the result would have been the same.

And now to find out that Genie too . . .

Related Characters: Genie/Imogen Zula Nyoni , Golide Gumele/Livingstone Stanley Tikiti, Jestina Nxumalo, Elizabeth Nyoni
Page Number: 301-302
Explanation and Analysis:

Genie chooses this particular moment, with the survivors as her witnesses, to fly away on a giant pair of silver wings . . . and leave her heart behind to calcify into the most precious and beautiful something that the world has ever seen.

As the survivors watch her ascend she experiences love as the release of a promise long held.

Related Characters: Genie/Imogen Zula Nyoni , Vida de Villiers/Jesus, Golide Gumele/Livingstone Stanley Tikiti, Elizabeth Nyoni
Related Symbols: Wings, Birds, and Eggs
Page Number: 305
Explanation and Analysis:

This is where he belongs.

Related Characters: Genie/Imogen Zula Nyoni , Marcus Malcolm Martin Masuku, Krystle Masuku, Golide Gumele/Livingstone Stanley Tikiti, Thandi Hadebe, Dingani Masuku, Eunice Masuku, Elizabeth Nyoni, Esme Masuku
Page Number: 314
Explanation and Analysis: