Miles PruittProfessor Ernest ColeEnglish 23428 February 2017

The book The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna focuses on the relationship between Julius, Saffia, and Elias Cole. It begins as a innocent love affair, when he begins working with Saffia’s husband, Julius, at the local university. He is a young, aspiring professor that wants to move up the hierarchy of the institution. Julius is a powerful influence within the university and he has a wife, a house, which is a nice life. The fact that Julius is not really around to spend time with his wife attracts Cole to Saffia. Moreover, her beauty becomes hypnotizing and alluring. Cole begins to spend time with Saffia in her home, to get to know her while Julius is away. It unfolds to the point where Cole is routinely going into their fridge to grab food and drinks, like he is in his own home. Unfortunately, Julius does not seem to notice what is going on because he has not caught them, but he begins to show a slight distrust of Cole. This, coupled with the troubling atmosphere of the war, will lead to consequences that will shape Forna’s narrative. The love affair is a demonstration of what lust and human desire can do to a person. It is highlighted in the memories of Cole, who, at the beginning, is in a hospital, slowly dying from sickness and old age. His recollection of these experiences allows the reader to build a narrative of Cole and Safia. Cole’s attachment to Saffia is a intense investment, which slowly eats away at his sanity. The Memory of Love focuses on the intricacies of love by explaining the relationship between Cole and Saffia, and its impact on Cole as he is telling a memory from his past.

I believe that this relationship is a gross abuse of friendship because Julius trusted Elias as a close friend. Cole betrayed that trust by going behind his back to see Saffia. The reader really sees this begin to shape in Chapter 3, where Elias Cole, in his fading body and mind, begins to reminisce about his first time meeting Saffia and Julius. He begins with the first time he went to their house, remembering that “it was in a web of narrow streets in the hills above the city” (31). Their

home is a symbol of peace, wealth, and unity between Saffia and Julius. Their lives were normal in the years before the civil war. What is intriguing was, prior to his interest in Saffia, Elias was in a relationship with another woman, Vanessa. However even when he, Vanessa, Saffia, and Julius are together, he is thinking about Saffia especially after “the first time he was able to properly look at her the entire evening” (40). I am appalled by Elias’s obsession with Saffia because he has to see her once just to be satisfied and Vanessa does not interest him.Elias is the one who invested completely in being in a relationship that did not have any physical attraction because Saffia only sees him as Julius’s friend. She does not recognize the early signs of Elias’s growing attraction to her. He is so focused on why her husband is not spending time with her that she fails to see that Elias is there for her all the time. There is conflicting evidence in the about her interest in Elias, like the fact that she continues to invite her over, even though she knows that Julius could come home at any time. There is a possibility that Saffia is more interested in Elias than what she is leading on because “she asks him if she can take his picture” (58). This is not something that a woman would ask a man if she is either desperate or interested. However, “Saffia is still there for her husband because, even though he is gone frequently, they are married” (69). Meanwhile, Elias is trying to insure that “Julius does not find him at his house, alone with his wife” (59). However, there are problems with Elias’s recollection of the events because he is on his deathbed, and it has been established that he is a conniving, manipulative snake that took advantage of the vulnerable Saffia and abandoned another woman in Vanessa. In his words , their relationship “had shrivelled to nothing and I was still at odds at how best to conduct myself” (107). Why is he is questioning his motives now after being at Saffia’s house without Julius’s knowledge and encouraging her to lie to her husband about their whereabouts.Cole has not really thought about the consequences of his actions, especially the impact on Saffia, Julius, and Vanessa.. Julius is a honorable man, and it is sad that he is not putting the pieces together even though Cole hints that “after Elias hit him, he knew what was going on” (89). The pain that he would be going through not being able

to spend time with his wife and finding out that his “friend” Elias Cole has been at his home the entire time would be too hard to swallow.There is little sympathy for Elias because he understood that engaging with a married woman is sinful, but “he let drew himself into love” (Cole 65). It is fitting that “Elias Cole has trouble breathing, much like Julius, whose asthma ultimately contributed to his death” (240). I question why did such a good man have to die so brutally, alone, in the basement of a cold, dark building, in a small cell, without truly knowing who Saffia and Elias were?

Julius’s death brings back memories of him and Saffia as a married couple because, on the outside, everything seemed to be that of a typical, happy, married couple. As Cole acknowledged, “they had a beautiful home, with an abundance of food and drink, things that would make them seem successful” (167). In reality, Julius worked too much, which made Saffia lonely, and unwittingly, the subject of Cole’s attention. She is initially oblivious to his intentions, and even after “Julius was arrested, she is nervous and trying to figure out what happened, so he called Elias” (156). Of course, he comes for her but she mistakes it for him begin supportive for Julius. We see that in his own mind, Elias “is flattered by Saffia calling him first” (156). After Julius’s death, we get a disturbing view into the mind of Elias. He has a memory of him and Saffia and despite “her caressing his body, she seems to hold back, hesitating to make contact” (290). She does not feel comfortable, even in the dream of Elias, with him, and this continues to be a issue throughout the time that Julius is in jail. However, when he dies, things change when Elias asks “Saffia to marry him; he prods and pursues, and finally gets her to say yes” (223). Even though she is still grieving over the death of her husband, and the customs state that she has to wait at least a year to start a new relationship, she is in a moment of weakness that Elias exploits to his advantage.

She only married him because of her vulnerability. She wanted to be loved and noticed and “her trauma over Julius’s death made her realize that, without Julius, she was alone in the world” (Cole 101). Even though Elias manipulated Saffia into marrying him, he did want love and affection and seemed, even to an unhealthy extent, to show love for

Saffia, holding and consoling her in the darkest moments. Before Elias came into Julius’s house for the first time, him and Julius had nothing to fight for, but his envy foreshadowed the foreboding doom of Julius. Elias believed that if he did everything that Saffia wanted him to do, then he could please his way into her heart. He acknowledges “that he followed Saffia” (96). However, after being married, they have a daughter, Babagaleh and, despite the hurt and loss of one husband, Saffia eventually has a life with Elias, even though this is not the outcome that she had expected when she was living a good life with Julius.

Despite the emphasis on character development, one important character is lost in the reminiscing of Elias: Vanessa. She is another woman in Elias's life, but it is apparent early in the book that Elias has moved on from the relationship. She serves as foil to highlight his relationship with Saffia. He sees himself as Julius’s equal, and Vanessa is just another woman that he views with little interest once he meets Saffia. This is important to understanding why Elias thinks and acts the way he does. It is because he believes that he is entitled to whatever woman he wants to and since Vanessa was not providing what he wanted from the relationship, Elias felt as though “they were drifting away slowly” (200). Despite being a background character, she understands who Elias is as he transforms from meager and deficient to manhood. Elias has finally achieved what he set out to do, but Vanessa remains a memory, a metaphor for women in Elias’s life, those that he cannot hope to measure up with, while also portraying his lack of empathy, and the loneliness he experiences as he remembers the Memory of Love.

The Memory of Love is a story of the reality of Sierra Leone, forming the narrative around Elias, Saffia, and Julius’s lives before, during, and after the war. It is not without tragedy, with Julius’s death as a result of a weakness in his seemingly impenetrable man hide. This is just another example that even the strongest man can have flaws, things that others exploit for their own benefit. Elias used this opportunity to make himself available to Saffia and they ended up living a life together, having a child. After many years, much like Julius, Elias was felled by

his weakness, a ironic twist for such a cruel villain. He was a man with no vices and no morals, but as he sits on his deathbed, he reminisces about a life that he is not necessarily proud of, because as he looks back, he has to inherently realize that all of the damage that he has done is irreparable. Despite obtaining the woman that he wanted, he ends up alone in the hospital because his actions drove everyone that he loved away. If this is a Memory of Love, then the looming question is: is it the true memory of the past and present.

Works CitedForna, Aminatta. The Memory of Love. London, Bloomsbury, 2011.Cole, Ernest. Space and Trauma in the Writings of Aminatta Forna. Africa World Press:Trenton, New Jersey, 2017.

Gracie LewellynProfessor ColeEnglish 23428 February 2017

The Power of Obsession            In The Memory of Love, a striking relationship arises between Saffia and Elias Cole. There is complexity, selfishness, and innocence all mixed into the desire of human compassion. Throughout the novel, the interactions between Elias and Saffia travel like a rollercoaster of emotions, from showing love and desire to complete avoidance. Through a close analysis of the behaviors of both Saffia and Elias Cole, my opinion of their relationship is swayed toward believing that the advances Elias Cole makes are driven by a powerful obsession and pure infatuation without provocation from Saffia.In the beginning of the novel, we learn that Elias Cole is the principle narrator of the novel, leading to a very biased viewpoint of his recounts of the encounters he has with Saffia. Elias comes across as very bold and disrespectful. He is completely aware that Saffia is married to another man, yet has no problem making advances toward her. Elias seems to test his limits to see how much he can get away with. In the very

beginning, his advances seem to be benign. He would “hold her gaze for as long as he dared,” (Forna 41). This shows that Elias is willing to risk being caught showing interest in Saffia if it means he is able to catch her attention for a few seconds. In the same scene, Elias convinces Saffia to dance with him. He describes himself as being so distracted that “he could think of nothing else until I had voiced my one thought,” (42). Elias’s obsession with Saffia has him completely blinded by the fact that she is a married woman. He acts irrationally and only thinks about pleasing his desire to be with Saffia.

As the novel progresses, Elias’s advancements shift from harmless acts of catching Saffia’s attention to blatantly showing interest in her. Elias begins to construct plans on how to find time alone with Saffia. His infatuation with her leads him to visit her house when he knows Julius will not be home. Elias’s actions and how he sneaks around to see Saffia reveals his immoral personality, which in turn, foreshadows some of his behaviors later in the novel. Elias knows perfectly well that Saffia is in a committed relationship, but that does not stop him from trying to win her over. He has created a fantasy inside his own mind that is telling him his actions are justified, leading his powerful obsession with Saffia to impede his daily life. In Space and Trauma in the Writings of Aminatta Forna, Elias is described as “the weed that would stifle the life out of the flowers,” (Cole 175). Elias thrusts his way into Saffia’s life by paying “random” visits to her home and develops a hatred for her husband. When the plot begins to develop, Elias’s selfish obsession for Saffia becomes apparent when we receive news that Julius has been arrested. He sees Saffia distraught by the fact that her husband is missing, but his infatuation with her leads him to “fantasize, to think what it might be like. This was all mine,” (Forna 187). He is so obsessed with Saffia that he only sees how he can benefit from her husband being missing and his mind is fixated on wishing for Julius to never come back so that he can possess Saffia’s love.

It is interesting to read about the events Elias narrates from an outside perspective. When I put myself in the shoes of a bystander, I see a very one-sided relationship. There is question as to whether or not Saffia is in love with Elias romantically. In the beginning of the novel,

there are definitely signs of a friendship between the two, but I view that as Saffia being cordial to her husband’s coworker. Elias, on the other hand, interprets that as a sign that she is showing feelings for him as well. In the scene where Elias and Saffia are dancing in the club, Saffia is described as keeping her eyes averted from Elias and the act of dancing forces her to focus rather than relax. This description leads me to believe that Saffia is uncomfortable dancing with Elias. Usually, dancing is emotional, and when you are dancing with someone you care about there is an emotional and physical connection. If Saffia has romantic feelings for Elias, her body language while dancing would indicate a desire for Elias; however, Saffia is described as being tense and very focused on the act of dancing rather than moving to the music with Elias.

Early-on in the stages of friendship, Elias visits Saffia while he knows Julius will not be home. It is during this interaction that she asks to photograph him with her newly acquired camera. This interaction raises multiple questions about the relationship between Elias and Saffia. Some feel that having a photograph taken is a very personal and emotional act, similar to the dancing described above. It can also be argued that Saffia is excited about her new camera and is simply wanting to practice her photography. I view this interaction between Elias and Saffia as an opportunity to practice photographic skills. The description of Saffia’s behaviors as she photographs Elias solidifies my opinions about her using Elias as a mere object to practice her photography on. As she begins to photograph him, she looks as though “a veil had dropped in front of her eyes. I had transformed into a thing to be photographed,” (58). Elias constructs an emotional connection between Saffia and him while she photographs him, but the description of the scene leads me to believe that Saffia has no intentions of conveying an emotional message.

As the friendship between Saffia and Elias continues, there is a shift in Saffia’s behaviors. She transitions from being cordial and friendly to Elias to being distant and cold. At this point in the novel, I think Saffia begins to recognize that Elias is making advances toward her. When Elias pays another visit to her home Saffia answers the door

and she is described as being “less than welcoming,” (98). Reluctantly, she still lets Elias into her home but does not act in her usual, friendly manner. She is quick to make excuses as to why she must leave, and her annoyance with Elias seems to stem from embarrassment of the realization that he is coming onto her.

Even after the death of Julius, there is no denial that Elias’s obsession with Saffia is far more intense than Saffia’s feelings for Elias. Saffia accepts Elias’s marriage proposal which raises even more questions as to whether she is in love with Elias or not. While analyzing this decision, I tried my best to put myself in her position, without taking into consideration the customs of the culture. Saffia knows she is in a very vulnerable state. Her money supply is running low, she is a widowed housewife with no current income, and there is a man willing to help her and provide for her. I believe her decision to marry Elias is based on a decision to create a new life for herself. She knows she will face many economic hardships without the help of Elias, so she decides to make the best out of her situation by marrying him.

Julius plays a key role in Elias’s actions toward Saffia. Elias observes the relationship that Julius has with Saffia and sees that Julius is a very charismatic, free man. His personality and behaviors often leave Saffia in the shadows. Elias takes this as a sign that he may have a chance to win Saffia over if he can give her the attention that her husband does not. On the other hand, Julius has immense trust in Saffia and their relationship so he does not feel the need to constantly prove his love to her to ensure her happiness with him. Since the novel is narrated by Elias, it is possible that Julius’ absence in Saffia’s life is a mere misinterpretation by Elias. As suggested in Space and Trauma in the Writings of Aminatta Forna, it is possible that Elias is so preoccupied with is obsession with Saffia, that he fails to see Julius’ frustration, leading Julius to use lovemaking as “a declaration that Julius is aware of Elias’ importunities,” (Cole 188). Although Julius always comes across as oblivious to the advancements Elias makes on his wife, he could be acting in a passive-aggressive manner in order to avoid conflict with a colleague, but also warn Elias in a non-confrontational way that he knows what Elias has been doing. After the encounter between Elias and

Saffia with the photographs, Julius brings them to Elias in his office and acts as though Saffia is upset with him for not bringing them to Elias sooner. My interpretation of this scene is that Julius is making it known to Elias that he knows he has been to his house to see Saffia. Julius plays it off as not being a big deal, but the underlying message is actually a warning to Elias.

Throughout the first half of the novel, Elias strings along a woman named Vanessa who, I believe, plays a role in Elias gaining closeness with Saffia. Vanessa is clearly in love with Elias, but is being used as an excuse to go on double dates with Saffia and Julius. I also think that Vanessa is Elias’s safety net. If Saffia thinks that Elias is in a relationship, then she will think even less of the advancements he makes toward her since she thinks he already is interested in another woman. After Elias’s visit with Saffia, which is riddled with stoic awkwardness, again he used Vanessa as an excuse to rekindle the friendship between Saffia and him. Elias sees the discomfort from Saffia, so he tells her Vanessa has broken up with him to explain why he visited her house.The relationship between Saffia and Elias in The Memory of Love is complex and confusing. There is room for disagreement and argument about the true emotions between the two characters. Based on my analysis of Elias, Saffia, Julius, and Vanessa, there seems to be very strong, selfish emotions coming from Elias which are powered by his obsessive drive for Saffia’s love, and very uninterested and unintentional actions coming from Saffia.

Works CitedCole, Ernest. Space and Trauma in the Writings of Aminatta Forna. Africa World Press: Trenton, New Jersey, 2017.Forna, Aminatta. The Memory of Love. Atlantic Monthly Press: New York, NY, 2010.

Lauren SweersProfessor ColeEnglish 23428 February 2017

In Love and War:Elias Cole’s Narcissism and Manipulation in The Memory of Love

Aminatta Forna’s novel, The Mem ory of Love, tells many stories: stories of trauma, love, and war. Of his story Elias Cole is the narrator, the man on his deathbed, the victim of a disease that will soon take his life. As he tells his story from his own biased viewpoint, readers must decide for themselves how unethical or delusional Elias truly was in pursuing the wife of his colleague. Near the end of the book, however, readers see that Elias is not simply a fool in love, but an abuser of power and complicit in murder. Forna contrasts the courageous, trusting character of Julius with the victim-minded, cowardly person of Elias, who is not the victim of power abuse, but the perpetrator, manipulating Saffia and the circumstances around their relationship as a manifestation of narcissistic personality disorder.

According to Mayo Clinic, the definition of narcissistic personality disorder is “a mental disorder in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance, a deep need for admiration and a lack of empathy for others. But behind this mask of ultraconfidence lies a fragile self-esteem that's vulnerable to the slightest criticism.” This definition amounts to a portrait of Elias Cole. Falling short of his professional ambitions and unsatisfied in his love life, he is jealous of Julius who is flourishing and happily married to Saffia, who, as Elias imagines, is the perfect woman. The first time Elias sees Saffia, he is struck with “a surge of feeling, that then nameless emotion,” clearly referring to desire or lust (Forna 6). When he realizes Saffia is married to Julius, his successful and vigorous colleague, this lust manifests into an obsession tangled up in the temptation of forbiddenness and an entitlement to happiness. In his mind, Saffia instantly becomes a token, a symbol, a “holy grail” of success and contentment that he is determined to win.Older Elias admits that his inner competitiveness with Julius was just like the other jealousies in his life, including the jealousy he felt toward

his “absurdly happy” younger brother while they were children (289). He recounts behaviors that a psychologist like Adrian may have conceived as psychopathic, such as tormenting his ill brother by pinching him all over his body and putting his water out of reach, all because he was jealous of his brother’s positive attitude in the midst of physical illness (52-53). Such behaviors go far past “sibling rivalry;” they lack any empathy, therefore suggesting that Elias had much deeper narcissistic complexes from the time he was a child. His hate of Julius mirrors his hate for his brother, resenting Julius’ boldness and larger-than-life charisma.

Elias pursues Saffia aggressively. All is done in the name of uncontrollable love for her: “No woman had ever produced such a restlessness in me,” Elias explains. “...the affection I felt for those creatures was like comparing the pleasure of a summer’s day to the terror of a storm” (97). He is lost in a “tempest” that fuels his recklessness, and he justifies his actions by her not confronting him on the boundaries he subtly, carefully sneaks past:I think it would be wrong to say I ever followed Saffia.In conversation the names of places she liked to visit or where she did her shopping might arise. Later, I might jotdown the detail down in my notebook. And if I happened to find myself there at any of those times, naturally I would look to see if she happened to be there also. (Forna 96). In his narration he simply brushes over what had been clearly his stalking Saffia. Elias, though honest, is troublingly unashamed of his past actions, shielding himself from the pain of the truth with self-justification and lies.

Readers wonder as the story unfolds whether Saffia is somehow oblivious to Elias’ advances- highly unlikely, it seems- or if she lets his pursuit continue because she likes the attention or even has romantic feelings toward Elias. Saffia’s lack of confrontation, however, actually seems to reflect disorientation due to Elias’ manipulative antics. He knows just how far to go without raising the red flags, so Saffia is left to try to navigate cautiously yet amiably through his deception. For instance, when Elias visits unexpectedly while she is home alone, Saffia does not welcome him in immediately. “Saffia regarded me in silence

for a few moments,” he explains. “‘Hello, Elias,’ a note in her voice, of weariness or caution. She did not open the door, but held on to the handle” (Forna 98). Saffia is obviously grappling with adhering social norms of courtesy while trying to discourage Elias’ advances. Elias, aware that she does not intend to let him in, feigns ignorance of the social cue, a manipulative technique of gaslighting that leaves her only the option of rudely sending him away or letting him inside. Saffia chooses the latter.

Upon Julius’ arrest, Saffia does go to Elias out of desperation. While Saffia is miserably distraught, meanwhile Elias soaks in Saffia’s dependence on him. She cries after a few days have passed, and Elias swoops in eagerly: “I put my arm around her. She neither resisted nor made to move away.... Her head rested on my shoulder” (186). This does not signify any affection for him, however; in fact, Elias recalls Saffia’s being detached and defeated, rejecting his offer to get something to eat, and working tirelessly to find out what is going on with Julius. Instead of letting Saffia’s love and heartbreak over her husband be a reality check on his expectations, Elias instead retreats to his imagination, “to think what it might be like. That this was all mine,” he fantasizes, “my home, lit up against the night. The sleeping woman inside my wife. Not sleeping from exhaustion, fear, and whisky. But slumbering in peace. I wished Julius would never come back” (187). Thus, the truth comes out in that final line, Elias’ deepest desire to take what rightfully belongs to Julius for himself.

Elias’ dreams come true. Julius is dead, and Saffia, his holy grail, is now within his reach to grasp. He exploits her vulnerable position by inserting himself into the void left by Julius, giving her money to pay for the house and watching “how tired she was beginning to look, how weary of it all” (Forna 271). In his book, Space and Trauma in the Writings of Aminatta Forna, Dr. Ernest Cole explains that Elias’ proposal to Saffia not even a year after Julius’ death “attests to his desperation and disregard for traditional values” because in Sierra Leone, “it is disrespectful and dishonorable for Elias to make an offer of marriage to his late friend’s wife during the period of mourning” (Cole 193). Saffia asks for time to consider his proposal, and he waits just a

month before asking her again. Her “yes” is a weary, defeated consent to an abuse of power much like that which caused the death of her husband. If Elias truly loved Saffia, he would have been more sensitive and patient to her mourning, and maybe he would not have expected her to fall in love with him at all. His impatience with Saffia shows that his kind of “love” for her is all self-seeking.

His victory is short-lived: at last Saffia is his wife, but the “ghost” of Julius remains in their “love triangle,” as he explains (Forna 290). He projects his dissatisfaction onto her during their lovemaking, frustrated and paranoid by her restraint. Cole refers to this as “the paradox of his accomplishment,” in that Elias “hopes to remodel his life and lay claim to Julius’ lifestyle,” but Saffia’s memory of Julius isn’t replaced by Elias, her “memory of love obliterates all his expectations of happiness” (Cole 194). This is the ultimate blow, the fact that he cannot live up to Julius, and the thought makes him “jealous even of Saffia, what she kept inside and would not share” (Forna 291). He becomes irrationally suspicious with her, reading into everything she says and going through her personal papers and items. Meanwhile, Saffia is still recovering from grief and confusion of her husband’s death, and is probably vaguely disgusted with the man she was all but forced to marry, but she copes by maintaining her domestic responsibilities and being civil to Elias as she feels is her duty. Elias is concerned not with her emotional health, but only with her affection and attention, so when he cannot have it fully, he turns to Vanessa, ironically enough, to give him what he believes he deserves.

Forna uses Adrian’s conversation with Mamakay about her father to not only reveal the truth about Elias, but also the truth about war, its victims, and its perpetrators. Victim-minded Elias is the opposite of confident, upbeat Julius. Elias feels entitled to happiness, wants the approval of others because of his own insecurity, and, worst of all, is silent in face of injustice in order to save his own skin. Out of jealousy, he hates Julius so much he allows him to die in prison- because, as he snaps, “Julius’s betrayal of me was far greater” (349). Damaging enough in love, Elias’ behavior and its consequences also extends to the political and social scene of Sierra Leone, a country recovering from a ten-year

civil war. Just like Elias “survived” and even “thrived,” as Mamakay reflects, by his being complicent to injustice and exploiting the weakness of others, many other Elias’ did the same thing during the war. The ones who stood up were shot down. Elias might have not been holding the gun, but he was cowering behind the firing line.

Works CitedCole, Ernest. Space and Trauma in the Writings of Aminatta Forna. Africa World Press: Trenton, New Jersey, 2017.Forna, Aminatta. The Memory of Love. London: Bloomsbury, 2010. Print.

Victoria GardnerProfessor Ernest ColeEnglish 23427 February 2017The Complex Connection Between Saffia and Elias Cole            Throughout The Memory of Love Aminatta Forna presents several complex relationships. These relationships seem to be a theme as they connect the plot, setting and characters of the story. An important, but complicated relationship, is the one between Saffia and Elias Cole. Their relationship is intricate in that it begins with jealousy, distance, loss and obsession. Neither feels love for the other and they understand each other, but still choose to do nothing to prevent the downfall of their relationships.  Like Elias Cole’s mental stability, the relationship between him and Saffia was unhealthy from the beginning, and continued to infect people connected with them.When Elias met Saffia he describes feelings of negativity and obsession. In chapter four of his book, Space and Trauma in The Writings of Aminatta Forna, Dr. Ernest Cole describes this predicament in saying “this combination of joy and pain characterizes his relationship with Saffia, an emotional conundrum from which he is never able to free himself or fully recover” (171). Forna gives the reader insight to the beginning of a sick relationship. Elias says “I saw a woman once, the loss of whom I mourned, even before I had spoken a single word to her” (5).  Elias tries to form a relationship from his emotions for Saffia: envy,

loss, and, obsession. Forna writes “…a woman you know you could love…it is neither love nor lust…what you feel is loss” (1). Elias is unsure whether obtaining Saffia is possible, and yet he yearns for a relationship that is doubtful. His first thoughts about Saffia show the malaise in the relationship, because he is motivated by forbidden desire, but also doubt. This predicament of being constantly in between two extremes provides a possible answer to the question Forna presents in The Memory of Love, and Cole addresses in Space and Trauma in The Writings of Aminatta Forna : “What does it mean to want something that cannot be achieved?” (171) Saffia, the wife of Elias’s colleague, maintains an apathetic distance to her obsessed admirer. Yet Elias continues to pursue Saffia despite her lack of interest, and in every encounter he suffers from the negativity that his hunt provokes. Elias chooses to be a tortured soul by seeking an inappropriate relationship with Saffia.  This has more to do with him than any particular characteristic of Saffia.

This persistence of an unsavory relationship damages the people connected to them as the story unfolds. Vanessa, Ellias’s girlfriend before he met Saffia, was perhaps the first character to feel it’s effect. Soon after meeting Saffia Elias starts to compare Vanessa to her. He narrates of Vanessa, “Each time the door closed behind her, the space was filled immediately, there was no vacuum where she’d been. My thoughts, in her absence, were not of her. Yet Saffia had already stepped into my dreams” (15). Vanessa’s goal of being a professor’s wife was not to be realized by Elias after his obsession with Saffia begins. When Julius was in prison Elias had the opportunity to find a cure for his obsession. He could have spoken up to save Julius. Dr. Cole writes, “He suffers because of his complicity in Julius’ death” (194). By staying silent and not defending Julius it left an open path for him to Saffia.  His bitter silence is another symptom of how their relationship affected the characters. He also allowed Julius to use his classroom in order for Elias to secretly spend alone time with Saffia.  Julius’s actions were unaccounted for during this time in Elias’s classroom, which led to him being accused of suspicious activity resulting in his imprisonment and death. He endangered Julius so he could escape to Saffia unperturbed.

As their relationship continues Saffia and Elias spread the distaste of an unsatisfying relationship to the other characters of the book. Mamakay experiences the discontent between her parents, and it affects her relationships with men. She carries on a physical relationship with Kai, one that lacked feelings in the same way that Elias and Saffia’s did. In fact, Mamakay’s existence is a result of Julius’s death and Elias’s obsession with Saffia, thus anything she does is the effect of that situation. This includes her adulterous relationship with Adrian, a married foreigner. Dr. Cole writes on this, “Adrian’s mental space allows us to see his coping mechanism after his initial desertion of his family, his fear of losing Mamakay, and the agony of isolation that follows from it” (204). The relationship severely spirals downward catching many characters in its web.

Saffia makes it very clear from her distant relationship that she is not in love with Elias.  She seems to be aware of his advances, but she avoids contact in order to keep up a polite neutral appearance. Even in the beginning she uses Julius as a barrier between her and the bachelors at the faculty wives’ dinner so she can converse without fear of conflict. The reader’s ability to know whether she loved Elias is limited because none of story is narrated by Saffia herself.  Elias is aware that she does not love him “did she love me? I don’t think so” (289). Although she accepts Elias’s proposal of marriage, there are indications by Elias that she did so due to her being defenseless and economically strapped. He states, “I watched Saffia struggle for survival” (266) and “A woman alone does indeed attract the attention of men, who scent her vulnerability. It bothered me to think of who might try to take advantage of Saffia’s situation” (267). Another example of her avoiding intimacy with Elias is when Saffia photographs him. Dr. Cole writes, “as a structural device, the camera serves as a barrier to Elias’ advances, because it eliminates intimacy between the two” (186). Even after Elias and Saffia marry and have a baby there is evidence that she was not in love with him. Elias says “in the final weeks of 1972, our daughter was born…Saffia remained as remote as ever” (294). Another example is that she continues to tend to the garden of flowers at house with the pink roof, showing her love for her dead husband. Forna writes “the garden

was ordered and neat….no doubt at all, this was Saffia’s doing” (294). Mamakay speaks of the fact that her parents were not happy together. Lastly, Elias discusses the ghost of Julius invading their marriage. Elias explains “imagine then, how it feels to find yourself in a love triangle with a ghost…Julius had left Saffia yet in dying he had yet at the same time atoned for all his sins…” (290).  There is never a clear point that suggest Saffia loves Elias, although there is some evidence to suggest that she was aware of his advances toward her.

Although the book never outright states that Julius and Saffia are aware of Elias’ obsession with Saffia there are moments that allude to it. When Julius and Saffia join Elias and Vanessa at The Talk of the Town nightclub Elias dances with Saffia. Forna writes, “I remember Julius passing silent comment, the way men do.” (43) Later on the way home Vanessa is unhappy with Elias and Julius wags his finger at him admonishing him. Elias thinks he is secretly visiting Saffia when her husband is not around only to find out, when Julius hands him pictures that Saffia took of Elias during one of those visits, that Julius knew all along. It is reasonable to surmise that Julius and Saffia would suspect Elias’ advances by the frequency of his visits to Saffia that were not in the presence of her husband.  Dr. Cole discusses how Elias was possible set up to walk in on Julius and Saffia making love to send Elias a message. He explains, “he knows that Elias is on his way with the chairs. Why has he left the door ajar? Perhaps the lovemaking is a warning to Elias of Julius’ awareness of Elias…” (189). Despite the evident warnings Elias continued to fight to have Saffia.Elias and Saffia have an uncomfortably distant relationship filled with his obsession and her absence. Cole’s destructive fixation with Saffia affects several characters in the book. Despite both Julius and Saffia being aware of his advances, she chooses to avoid his feelings. Thus, they both become responsible for the downfall of Julius and the unhappy ending that they suffer.

Work CitedCole, Ernest. Space and Trauma in the Writings of Aminatta Forna. Africa World Press: Trenton, New Jersey, 2017Forna, Aminatta. The Memory of Love. London: Bloomsbury, 2011.

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Matt ReitsmaDr. ColeEnglish 23428 February 2017The Unrequited Relationship of Elias Cole and Saffia in The Memory of

LoveIn The Memory of Love, the relationship between Elias Cole and

Saffia is a very interesting and prevalent theme. This theme takes on many forms as these two interact throughout the novel, often showing Elias’ love or obsession with Saffia. The complications of human desire are portrayed through these individuals, and many of the details of their feelings or awareness of what is occurring are left for possible debate and discussion. While the story unfolds in the perspective of Elias, questions arise regarding the awareness of the relationship in Saffia’s eyes, whether or not this is truly love, and the impact others close to them have on the connection.

From the beginning, I was very careful not to believe everything that was portrayed by Elias Cole in this novel, as it was solely coming from Elias’ own perspective. Connecting that to everyday life, I knew that one individual’s perspective is not always the same as others involved. So, when he began to discuss his interactions with Saffia, I was already fairly skeptical of the details. However, I truly saw his obsession with her in every small detail he discussed. He was very observant of everything she did, and had a very keen memory into every possible sign of her giving positive signals in return. The foremost indicator of his obsession with her, in my opinion, was his description of the flowers in her garden. As we discussed in class, these flowers provide a very close metaphor to Saffia from Elias’ eyes. I should note that at this point in the novel we are unsure of Saffia’s feeling towards Elias, so I was basing my observations about their relationship solely on his obsession with her. However, he stated:

They stood magnificent, multi-hued, every shade of a dying sun. Their stems were fleshy, muscular, naked without the modesty of leaves.

The flowers thick-petalled and brazenly open, revealing seeping filaments, and shiny, sticky stigmas. (Forna 32)

This may seem at first interpretation to be a simple description of the beautiful flowers in Saffia’s garden. However, I saw them to be a direct view of Saffia, rather than her flowers. He is focused on her, and had been for several moments leading up to this scene. It carried a very sexual tone; she seemingly is seen as pure and ready to be owned by him. Saffia carries a natural beauty, and is described using many subtle details that would require large amounts of observation. As Cole states, “Forna associates Saffia with orchids and lilies, Elias is the weed that would stifle the life out of the flowers” (175). This sentence, included in Dr. Cole’s analysis of the situation, provides a great breakdown of the situation in my opinion. Elias is obsessed with the beautiful orchid Saffia, but little does he realize this action has the effect of a weed killing the natural beauty of its surroundings.

Furthermore, Dr. Cole mentions Elias’ obsession to Saffia again later in his book. “Elias’ blindness is a consequence of his addiction, not to drugs, but to Saffia. His level of addiction is so strong that his obsession is out of control” (Cole 190). I read this detail and it immediately coincided with my thinking of the situation. I had not yet read many details about how Saffia feels about the relationship, but from Elias perspective his obsession seems very concerning. He cannot hold back from devoting all his thoughts to her.

A second aspect of their relationship that can be analyzed is the question whether Saffia returns his affection. The first example of this being a possibility is through the photography scene. Drawing from our class discussion I would point out the belief that this was a sign of her analyzing the relationship that the two had. She was in control, using the camera as a third party, which in turn dealt her the ability to examine Elias under a new lens. His observations of the scene were as follows:Saffia for her part peered through the viewfinder and seemed to fidget with every knob and lever of the camera’s apparatus.  If she noticed any awkwardness on my part she gave no sign of it. When she looked at me, which she did frequently, it was as though a veil had dropped in front of her eyes. (Forna 59)

Elias is under Saffia’s gaze, all of his actions and emotions were in her sight. I believe that this points to her considering the idea that there is a closer relationship brewing between them. I also believe that taking pictures of an individual requires some form of an acceptance of closeness and intimacy, especially in such a private setting. This is what makes me consider that her involvement in this activity provides a sense of her returning affection.

On the other hand, there are multiple aspects of this situation that actually shows the alternative side. Specifically, the fact that Julius gets involved and does not seem to show any worry about what transpired is what convinced me our interpretation is skewed. Julius hands over the pictures that Saffia takes of Elias without mention of them being alone together. Either Saffia is not telling Julius all that is going on or we are getting the wrong picture of what is happening from Elias’ point of view. I personally believe that having heard the story from Elias perspective is the issue here. He is so obsessed with her that anything seems like she is returning the desire, when in reality she is not.Another example of the relationship’s status being in question is through Elias’ proposal of marriage. This was just over a year after Julius passed away, and to me that is very disheartening in many ways. One, this seems very disrespectful on his part, as a year after a spouse’s death is not enough time to even consider a proposal in my eyes. “In the culture of Sierra Leone, it is disrespectful and dishonorable for Elias to make an offer of marriage to his late friend’s wife during the period of mourning” (Cole 193). Dr. Cole’s explanation backs up my ideas regarding the disrespectfulness of this offer. This is just another example of Elias’ obsession though, so in that sense I was not surprised. The part of this situation that makes me question their relationship is the fact that she accepted his offer of marriage. This raised major questions at first, as it makes me think she had feelings for Elias the entire time. On the other hand, I also think she was very vulnerable to any possible emotional support and I do not think Elias was as considerate as he explains from his point of view. I believe she was very troubled at the time, and saw Elias’ devotion to her as a possible motive to fill the void of Julius’ passing.

Lastly, there are many aspects of the novel that points to this relationship being incorrectly identified by Elias Cole. He sees Saffia’s actions and emotions as showing possible affection towards him, but in reality analysis of her actions shows he may have been misinterpreting her. An example if this is the scene where Elias witnesses the lovemaking between Saffia and Julius:From somewhere I thought I heard a sound, thought the timing coincided so exactly with my own tread I felt unsure. I waited and listened until it came again. Louder this time. A moan. I stood, covered by the darkness, and listened as it came, over and over. My heart began to beat, the blood rushed to my head. I felt I must leave, but I could not move. My body was rigid. (Forna 135)

This instantly stood out to me as an instance where Saffia proves she is indeed in love with her husband and that their relationship is healthy. She is committed to him, and Elias should realize this when he hears this occurring. It also makes me believe Julius was doing this to make sure Elias knows his place. He knew Elias was making a delivery, and in my opinion knew that he would witness some aspect of his sexual relationship with his wife. Their lovemaking should have forced Elias to realize he was wrong in pursuing Saffia, but I actually believe that it made things worse in his mind. While most people would realize what was going on and give them space, he does not leave. He is frozen is obsession. Hearing her moan only makes him want to have that even more for himself. This is clear to me as he stays nearby, and with an increasing heart rate listens as the noises continue over and over.Another example of Elias misunderstanding his place within his relationship with Saffia is found after he is married to her. First, I noticed this in the scene where Elias discusses a memory of their lovemaking:

I touch her back. For a few seconds, until she turns to me, she is utterly immobile. I kiss her. I caress her. She places her arms around me. But there is something being held back. Her touch on my skin is altogether too light, as if she hesitates to make contact. (290)This shows me that she is not in love with him, at least not on the same level as she was with her first husband. In lovemaking with Julius, she

was verbally enjoying their connection. Here, however, he describes her as “immobile” and holding back. He is connected physically through marriage, but there is no apparent psychological connection. I believe this is how it was from the beginning. He was blind to how she felt towards him, and she was blind to his true advances in her loss of Julius.Continuing, this is backed again after the birth of their daughter. Elias believes that this would change her views and actions towards him, but is again disappointed:

In the final weeks of 1972, our daughter was born. I told myself I had given Saffia the one thing Julius had not. It made no difference. Saffia remained as remote as ever. A stillness came over her. It was as if she had realized her error in marrying me, but now it was too late. (294)This locks in my belief that Saffia did not ever truly love Elias. He is beginning to realize how she truly has felt, and is aware that he may have been blind to the truth for a long time. A daughter usually brings a couple closer than ever, but this separates them even more. She submits to what she is locked into through marriage, but their relationship is dead. It is sad to see, but I believed that this was how the relationship would end up.

A final note on their relationship being dead is the connection between Elias and Vanessa. Vanessa acts almost directly in the same role as Elias did, by obsessing over him, and coming in the middle of his and Saffia’s relationship. As Cole writes, “However, Julius’ ghost is almost always a palpable presence; the memory of Julius’ lovemaking to Saffia haunts Elias to his death. This memory of love obliterates all his expectations of happiness. It even propels him to cheat on Saffia with Vanessa” (194). Dr. Cole’s analysis brings up ideas that show the lack of connection with Saffia once he has her causes him to fill the void with another woman. He is blind to her advances, but a lack of relationship with Saffia allows him to accept Vanessa. His cheating continues until Saffia’s death four years later. This is disgraceful in every way to me. I believe that this is the deserved end to Elias obsession. What he did to Saffia and Julius was disgraceful, and for the same process to occur to him via Vanessa is a fitting result. This story is just a sad case of a man’s blind obsession and its catastrophic effects.

The Memory of Love develops a central theme of the complications of human desire as the relationship between Elias Cole and Saffia plays out. The levels of Elias’ obsession, Saffia’s possible returns of affection, and the confirmations of Elias’ misunderstanding all paint a picture of the complexity of relationships in any society. Reading in Elias’ perspective allows us as readers to analyze how one’s view of different situations can be skewed into their desires. Elias was a troubled man, following a path of turmoil that he had no awareness of what was occurring. This novel is a tremendous insight into not only how the people of Sierra Leone developed post-conflict, but also how relationships can conflict in the United States or any other Earthly society.

Works Cited:Cole, Ernest. Space and Trauma in the Writings of Aminatta Forna. Africa World Press: Trenton, New Jersey, 2017.Forna, Aminatta. The Memory of Love. New York: Grove Press, 2010.