Khalifa

Khalifa is one of the novel’s protagonists. Khalifa grows up in an East African village with his mother and father. Because his father, Qassim, wants Khalifa “to want more” for himself, he teaches his son “to read and write in the roman alphabet” and later sends him “to a private tutor in the nearby town” (5). Qassim therefore hopes that his son will be able to accomplish the goals and ambitions he was unable to accomplish in his own life. Because of his education, Khalifa is indeed afforded different opportunities than his father. Over the years following, he incidentally distances himself from his family. After working for a set of bankers for nearly a decade, he meets and finds work with “the merchant Amur Biashara” (3) While working for the merchant, Khalifa is shocked to discover that his mother has passed away suddenly. He races home to see his...