Some people call the sunset a creation of extraordinary beauty, and proof of God's existence. But what benevolent force would bewitch the human spirit by choosing pink to light the path of a slave vessel? Do not be fooled by that pretty colour, and do not submit to its beckoning.
-- Aminata (Book One - "And now I am old {London, 1802}" paragraph 2)

Importance: This quote introduces key tensions that arise in the novel, the first of which is deception. Pink, as Aminata says earlier, is the colour of innocence, yet it is also the colour that lights the way across the Atlantic Ocean to America, where Aminata and her peers are forced into slavery. Pink conceals the impending malevolence.The passage also hints at the importance of color in the story. Pink, red, orange, yellow -- bright colors play prominent roles throughout the novel, illustrating characters' personalities along with the vitality of Africa, creating contrast to the grey despair of the the English...