Refugee Mother and Child by Chinua Achebe

Introduction

Chinua Achebe’s *Mother in a Refugee Camp* paints the pathetic picture of a mother holding her dying son in her hands for the last time, portraying both the inevitability of death and the pain of those whose loved ones have died yet they live on in a harsh light. In *Refugee Mother and Child*, Achebe realistically presents a refugee camp infected with starvation, disease and death. The mother and child are nameless so are the location. They can be any mother and child in Africa, driven to a refugee camp because of political instability.

The poem is a simple, but vivid description of the life of people (especially women and children) who are stranded in refugee camps during turbulent times. The poem is poignant due to its artful usage of imagery and simple language. The pitiable state of such people is depicted evocatively; while strongly emphasizing the unconditional love of a mother towards her child, which knows no end.

Summary

The poem starts with the poet comparing the scene of a mother holding her son in a refugee camp with the love and care which is usually depicted in all versions of Mary holding a dying Jesus in her arms. The poet states that none of the reputed depictions of tenderness could even come near the fragility and beauty of this scene of pathos and heartbreak. This foreshadows that the son in her arms is soon going to die, an idea which is confirmed by the third line which says that after laying her son beneath the earth, the mother would have to learn how to live life without him, and move on.

The next four lines describe the aura of disease, illness and death which surrounds the camp; describing the smells of the camp, and the ribs of the children protruding from sickness, painting a truly horrifying picture of sick infants and helpless people. Then Achebe goes on to say how other mothers no longer care, they can no longer cope with the struggle of surviving and now only await death. However, this mother, who was mentioned earlier, does not fall into the same category.

There is a remnant of a smile gracing her lips and she remembers her son in all his glory as she holds him for the last time. Her maternal pride had led her to clean him up before laying him to rest, and now she takes out a comb and with singing eyes, she arranges her son’s hair which is rust, a sign that he suffers from kwashiorkor; a protein deficiency. The relevant way in which she performs this act makes the poet reflect on how in normal day-to-day life, such an act holds no consequence to any mother; they do it before their sons leave for school. But the manner in which this mother does it has such an air of finality to it that it is akin to laying flowers on a tiny grave.

The poet draws our attention to a particular mother and her child. They are compared with St. Mary holding infant Jesus in her arms. Madonna loves her child because Jesus is the saviour of mankind and the son of God. The world worships her and her child. Juxtaposed with this, the poet introduces a poor ordinary, unknown mother and child.

The mother knows her child is slowly dying. It is of no use caring for him. Other mothers in the camp know this truth about their children, so they are careless about their dying children. They don’t want to waste further their time and energy and love for the dying children. It is futile for them. So they are passive. The air was heavy with odours of diarrhoea of unwashed children.

The Epitome of Motherhood: But this mother is very different. She is the epitome of motherhood. She loves her child. Her love for him is infinite and divine. She does not want anything in return for her love and sacrifice. She combs his dirty hair left on the skull of his head. She carefully parts the hair as if she were preparing him for school in the morning. She is doing a lot of work including kissing his forehead. It was an act of putting flowers in his small coffin - the last love of a mother to her son.

The poet uses the words ‘ghost’ and ‘rust’ as metaphors for death. The mother keeps smiling while combing his hair because she knows that very soon the child will die. While carrying infant Jesus in her arms, St. Mary too knows well that her son will be nailed to the cross for the benefit of humanity. Therefore he would become the Saviour of mankind. But the refugee mother cannot be proud of any such achievement of her poor son. His death is not a matter for the world. Yet her maternal love for her child surpasses even the love of Madonna for her infant Jesus.

Brief Summary: A Closer Look

The air in the place is described as being "heavy," pungent with the odour of unwashed children affected with diarrhoea. This shows they can't be taken care of. The children are so malnourished that they are just skin and bones; even walking is "laboured steps."

Most mothers had stopped caring; disease and death had become normal. But this woman still has a "ghost of motherly pride" in her eyes. The hurricane of sorrow behind her smile makes it haunting. While she is combing and carefully parting her son's hair, her eyes were "singing."

Finally, the poet says that a mother combing the hair of her little son is a normal act of daily life, usually done before school. In this camp, this routine act looks ominous—it looks like she is putting flowers on the tiny grave of her son.

About the Poet

Chinua Achebe (1930 – 2013) is one of Nigeria and Africa’s most recognised and decorated writers. He is more renowned for his novels and essays. He came to the limelight as a poet and was joint-winner of the Commonwealth Poetry Prize in 1972. Achebe continues to be an inspiration around the world. He grew up in Africa during colonial rule, and his works are heavily inspired by the pitiful situation of the native people. His first novel “Things Fall Apart” has been translated into 45 languages. His poem “Refugee Mother and Child” is a celebration of motherhood in a camp somewhere in Africa.

Detailed Analysis

1. Structure & Language

Structure: The poem is written in freestyle. It is not structured i.e., not divided into stanzas. It has no particular metre, rhythm or rhyme scheme. The style of writing is similar to prose. The lines form complete sentences on their own.

Language: The beauty lies in simplicity. It is not "too heavy" or grandiloquent. Written in layman's language, it effectively tugs at the heartstrings. Daily life words create powerful allegories.

2. Mood, Speaker & Tone

Mood: Very melancholic. The graphic depiction of wretched living conditions coupled with tender love makes it a tear-jerker.

Speaker: The poet himself speaks as a third person/onlooker who observes everything from a distance.

Tone: Dramatic and sad but influential. The poet is passionate and emotional about the plight of refugees.

3. Backdrop & Characters

Backdrop: Colonized Africa during frontier rule and freedom struggle. The setting is a generalized description of a refugee camp.

Characters: Central characters are a mother and her son. This woman stands apart because she can still nurture maternal feelings in an inhuman atmosphere.

4. Core Themes

• Hellish Living Conditions: Nightmarish consequences of destitution, disease, and malnourishment.
• Maternal Love: The purest form of love that shines even when hearts have been hardened by death and suffering.
• Inevitability of Death: Death perennially looms overhead in the camp.

Imagery: Word Pictures

The poet makes use of highly effective and heart-touching imagery that is raw, realistic, and blunt.

• Religious Imagery: Mother Mary with Baby Jesus (Madonna) used as the ultimate standard of love, which the refugee mother surpasses.
• Physical Misery: Words like "unwashed", "washed out ribs", "dried up bottoms", "laboured steps", and "blown empty bellies".
• Metaphor of Death: The "ghost of a smile" and "rust coloured hair" (kwashiorkor) indicating the boy is on the verge of death.
• Final Respects: Combing hair is compared to "putting flowers on a tiny grave." This is the most haunting image in the poem.

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Questions and Answers

Why is the picture of the refugee mother and her child more tender than Madonna and the child?

The refugee mother cares for her child with great affection even in the midst of extreme poverty and miseries. Unlike Madonna, whose child is a worshipped saviour, this mother loves a child who has no importance to the world and is certainly dying, making her sacrifice more poignant.

How does the poet paint the sufferings of the people in the camp?

He uses nauseating sensory details: the heavy air of unwashed children with diarrhoea, "washed out ribs," "dried up bottoms," and "blown empty bellies." These images bring out the total helplessness and misery.

“Most mothers had long ceased to care”. Why?

Most mothers in the refugee camp ceased to care because the poignancy and trauma had reached a saturation point. Constant death and suffering had forced them to harden their hearts as they lost all hope of survival.

How is the combing of the child's hair similar to putting flowers on a grave?

The mother knows the child is nearing death. This simple act of grooming, usually a mundane morning routine, takes on an air of finality and sacredness—it is her final act of love and kindness before the child is gone forever.

Comment on the structure of the poem.

The poem uses a freestyle, prose-like structure without stanzas or rhyme. This simplicity allows Achebe’s literary language and raw imagery to create a direct emotional impact, skillfully contrasting life and death through irony.

Explain: "Refugee Mother and Child is a celebration of motherhood."

The poem celebrates the endurance of a mother’s love. Despite the desolation and the "aura of death," this mother refuses to be passive like the others. Her act of combing "rust-coloured hair" with "singing eyes" proves that maternal love is a testament that survives even when everything else—home, health, and hope—is lost.

Conclusion: The poem "Refugee Mother and Child" is a very realistic and moving piece that leaves the reader in tears over the deplorable state of refugees and the gut-wrenching scenario of a mother tending to her dying son.