Point of View

So Long a Letter is a novel written in the first person point of view. Through the device of a letter, Ramatoulaye narrates her story to her friend as a diary, offering a first-hand account of Ramatoulaye’s life and emotions, distilled in the telling by the isolation of her mourning period.

Setting

Ramatoulaye writes from Dakar, Senegal, and the recipient of the letter is in America. Dakar, the capital city, is full of the old customs as well as the changing tide of beliefs and practices. The country gained independence not 20 years earlier, and is still new, ushering in a future of hope.

Language and Meaning

The people whose lives intersect with Rama are educated for the most part, but their language is accessible to all. The people in the story speak plainly, even when heated political debate breaks out. The author of the...