Lady Di Heels

Tambu's high-heeled shoes are symbols of Tambu’s materialistic desires and her wish, barely concealed, to be European. Tambu is depicted in the first chapter wearing Lady Di heels, a kind of heel named after England's Princess Diana. The heels, the reader learns, were given to her by Nyasha.

Bag of Mealie Meal

The bag of mealie meal that Tambu’s mother sends her via Christine becomes a symbol of Tambu’s past and village roots. Though Tambu tries to outrun her past by immersing herself in urban life in Harare, Tambu finds that her past, like the mealie bag, continues to follow her.

The Hyena

The hyena symbolizes self-hatred. When Tambu has a nervous breakdown at the end of Part I, Tambu imagines herself as a hyena. This hyena is a symbol of Tambu’s scornful attitude towards herself and of her mental...