The Diary of an African Nun Study Guide

This short story is written as a woman's six diary entries, all concerning her role as an African nun-that is, the wife of Christ. The first entry depicts how she is viewed by different nationalities that use the mission school as a hotel at night. All people are curious as to why a young and beautiful woman has become a nun. The Americans do not understand her humility, and they overly tip and smile at her; the Germans offer her praise, regard her as a primitive work of art and leer at her; the French find her charming; and the Italians hardly spare her a glance. The African nun sees herself as a wife of Christ, a celibate martyr and saint, and a wife of the Catholic church. She has spent all of her life in the same village that was "civilized" by missionaries, a village that is within walking distance from the mountains that are almost always covered in snow, except for in the spring. (read more)