-Term Project-
*A comparative study on the book Nervous Conditions and the film Chocolat.*

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-Damage of Colonialism-
          Both the book Nervous Conditions and the movie Chocolat portray the negative effects of colonialism not only for the colonized, but for the colonizers as well.  A major scene in the movie Chocolat that demonstrates this is the scene where France goes to see Protee, who is now working in the generator shed because of Aimee’s request that he be removed from working in the house.  “Is it hot asks France?”, referring to the pipes connected to the generator.  Protee touches the pipe saying nothing, then France follows suit realizing that “yes” the pipes are in fact hot—extremely hot.  Protee and France are both burned now, and France is shown later in the movie as an adult with this scar on her palm.  It is a scar that represents her guilt of colonialism, one that she will carry with her forever.  Protee who is also an innocent by standard of colonialism has a scar to carry as well, but his is representative of humiliation—the humiliation that came with being a servant in France’s home (Sanders 3).  Protee and France have scars that they will share together forever, the scars of colonialism. 
        Another character who suffers greatly not only emotionally, but physically from colonialism is Nyasha from the book Nervous Conditions.  At the height of her rebellion Nyasha is already thinly ill from her anorexia and bulimia, but she still feels the need to rid herself further of the confinement she feels in her life, so she shreds between her teeth the English history book, calling them—the English, the colonizers, “Fucking liars.”  She jabs into her skin the fragments of her broken clay pots, the clay pots represent her “native” art.  Following this she stomps all over her clothes.  “In this scene, she rejects colonial history, which has fragmented her culture and, along with the Shona patriarchal traditions, has scarred her flesh, and she refuses her material privileges gained by colonialism’s capitalist system” (Saliba 12).  Nyasha’s father, Babamukuru fails to acknowledge that his daughter’s illness, and acts of rebellion are a result of his patriarchal control and his cooperation with the colonizer, which only worsens her condition.

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Role of Food | Hybrid Identities | Idea of Space | Damage of Colonialism

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