In this post, we are going to summarise Pede Hollist’s novel, So the Path Does Not Die, from chapters eleven to fifteen.
Chapter 11 Summary
In Chapter 11 of So the Path Does Not Die, Fina wakes up with a nightmarish dream about her aborted initiation. It spoils her mood as she prepares for her wedding ceremony. Lots of friends including Edna are present. Cammy notices her crestfallen face and advices her to focus on the future. A part of Fina longs for home which irritates Cammy. They reconcile quickly. Cammy pleads a day absence (officially obligated) after their wedding.
Isa calls Fina again with catalogues of complaints, sickness, rent and skill acquisition prospect. Fina decides to send forty-five dollars. Plagued with thoughts about her sister’s situation, noises from outside interrupts her. She gets dressed for the event.
Chapter 12 Summary
Fina and Cammy’s wedding causes a stir in Chapter 12 of So the Path Does Not Die. People from different places grace the occasion, being an inter-cultural marriage event. People from Fina’s side, labelled by their greeting style ‘Man dem,’ attend too. Their noise fills the air as they discuss social issues including education, jobs and politics. Kizzy is among the discussants. He passes a joke about Africa, preferring his stay in USA. A fellow African takes it personal.
A notorious man, whose sobriquet is Lincoln Scraps, agitates for entrance. He holds the view that Cammy does a favour by marrying an ‘African gal,’ a derogatory name he uses for Fina. Two youths of ‘Man dem’ block the space. A sharp quarrel ensues. Cammy luckily appears on the scene, calms Scraps down, conscious not to mess his day, if not for Kizzy’s disruptive tenor of speech which flares him up. At last, everything subsides, though the atmosphere retains the rivalry.
Chapter 13 Summary
Fina walks to the altar alone with no one to stand in for her parents. Her sister, Isa, has been denied a visitor’s visa. The arrangement for a foster parent has equally failed. She nurses little excitement about the Christian marriage compared to her culture, if not for Cammy, an ideal man that makes up for her mood.
The marriage is interrupted by a strange man who claims Fina as his wife. Fina manages to flee from the Church followed by Cammy. Scraps, who is asleep all the while, wakes up, confronts the stranger-proposing husband out of the way. Mixed feelings, gossips and opinions dominate the atmosphere.
Chapter 14 Summary
In Chapter 14 of So the Path Does Not Die, Fina retires at the vestry. She is caught between tears and depression. Cammy joins her, fueled up. He scolds Fina for disgracing him. Fina sulks. Cammy cools down and pursues a comfortable discussion.
The stranger in question appears to be Jemal. Fina assures Cammy of a divorce paper she has that certifies that her marriage to Jemal has been dissolved, pronounced by the church during Jemal’s mysterious disappearance.
Cammy feels discouraged. His mother, Celeste Priddy, appears to tell them to continue with the wedding. Fina goes mad, which commands their stay. Cammy storms out. Celeste succeeds in consoling Fina, and tries to convince them to proceed with the ceremony but Cammy objects.
He has a heart-to-heart talk with Fina, blaming her for not being honest with him. He stereotypes an African as an unreliable fellow. Fina becomes sad and tries to explain. Cammy dashes out while Edna enters.
Chapter 15 Summary
In Chapter 15 of So the Path Does Not Die, Edna consoles Fina and raises her hopes. Fina bemoans her fate; her background, her evil grandmother who places curse on her, the molestation she endured while in college as a Fula girl and lots of painful memories. Aman comes in and revalidates her goodness.
Aman drops the news of a fight between some of the guests. From Aman’s narration, Edna notices Kizzy, her husband, might be involved in the said fight. She hurries out to look for herslf.
Cammy is filled with shame. Careful not to let loose his emotions, he abandons Fina at the church. He’s buried with multitude of thoughts as his chauffeur drives him home. Aman takes Fina home and blames her for not informing Cammy about her earlier marital hook-up. Fina, fed up with everything, packs up to go to her home country (Sierra Leone). Aman dissuades her from doing so but Fina insists, complaining, ranting and cursing while Aman silently indulges her.
Other Chapters:
- Chapter 1 to 5 Summary of Pede Hollist’s So the Path Does Not Die
- Chapter 6 to 10 Summary of Pede Hollist’s So the Path Does Not Die
- Chapter 16 to 20 Summary of Pede Hollist’s So the Path Does Not Die
- Chapter 21 to 24 Summary of Pede Hollist’s So the Path Does Not Die
Further Reading:
- Memorable Quotes in Pede Hollist’s So the Path Does Not Die
- Themes in Pede Hollist’s So the Path Does Not Die
- Plot Summary and Setting of Pede Hollist’s So the Path Does Not Die
- Characters in Pede Hollist’s So the Path Does Not Die
- Chapter by Chapter Summary of Pede Hollist’s So the Path Does Not Die
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