The Dark Child Study Guide & Plot Synopsis

The Dark Child Plot Summary

Preview of The Dark Child Summary:

Laye's autobiographical novel The Dark Child follows one boy's journey from his earliest memories at age five or six to his first moment of definite adulthood—the day he leaves his native Guinea for Paris, where he will study and ultimately decide his destiny.

Respected and loved throughout his childhood, Laye's life may not seem typical, but his experiences are honestly, if not nostalgically, recorded, and readers will universally identify with many of them, although the culture may be foreign.

Laye's father runs the village forge, but his prominent role in the community stems from more than his status as a blacksmith. According to his young son, Laye's father is something of a prophet. A black snake visits him both in his dreams and while he works in the forge, and the father often knows what will happen during the day before the day even begins. Laye cannot explain this mystery,...
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