32 pages • 1 hour read
Ruined
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Summary
Act Summaries & Analyses
Character Analysis
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
Tools
BetaThemes
Rape as a Weapon of War
The play’s Introduction, by Kate Whoriskey, makes clear the significance of rape during wartime: “it was not just a tool to humiliate the women or to degrade the opposing side’s masculinity, it was a way to strip women of their wombs” (xi). All of the women in the play suffer from a rape-related physical injury and/or the psychological effects of rape. Sophie’s injuries via a bayonet attack have rendered her incapable of having sexual intercourse, which means that at the age of eighteen, she has already been stripped of the opportunity to bear children. Salima’s imprisonment by soldiers results in an unwanted pregnancy of uncertain paternity, and in desperation, Salima appears to kill the baby and herself in a powerful display of the knock-on emotional effects of her imprisonment. Though the soldiers allowed Salima to live, ultimately, they directly contribute to her cause of death. Even Mama Nadi, despite all of her strength and brazen ambition, admits in a vulnerable moment to having been “ruined” earlier in her life; she feels undeserving of the marriage and happy life Christian offers her, due to her own experiences with sexual violence. No matter if they are rebel soldiers or government soldiers, all of the men who take part in the conflict treat Mama Nadi and her girls disrespectfully, overpowering them with their physical strength and the threat of violence. The constant presence of these kinds of men in the play remind the audience of the ubiquitous threat these women must live under while trying to survive.
The Healing Power of Hope and Resilience
Despite the themes of rape and sexual violence that permeate the play, a message of hope and resilience does exist. For some women, this positive message has a healing effect; in Sophie’s case, the healing effect is literal, as she steals from Mama Nadi in order to pay for an operation to repair her damaged body. In Mama Nadi’s case, the healing is emotional. When Mama Nadi observes Sophie’s determination to find the necessary money for the operation, she warms to Sophie and forgives the transgression, revealing a latent compassion for the strong young woman who refuses to give up on life. Both the ending of the play and Christian’s persistence and optimism throughout the playalso reflect a message of hope and resilience. He clings to his attachment to Mama Nadi, refusing to give up on her, even when she tells him that she herself has been “ruined.” Christian’s affection for Mama Nadi heals her cynical heart, at least to the point where she is willing to dance with him and engage in this physical act of love that he desires.
Marriage and Masculinity
The play scrutinizes the meaning of marriage and the role of a man within the institution of marriage through the perspectives of two couples in particular: Christian’s proposals of idealized domesticity with Mama Nadi, whose cynicism towards love and marriage only lifts slightly at the end of the play; and Salima and Fortune’s disappointment in their damaged marriage.
Throughout the play, Christian makes overtly romantic gestures towards Mama Nadi, bringing her poems and asking her to dance with him. Though Mama Nadi may not be aware at first of her own attachment to Christian, she accepts his gestures, although in a rather bad-tempered way. Christian refuses to be cowed by Mama Nadi’s dismissive responses, and by the end of the play, Mama Nadi confesses to him the real reason behind her resistance: she, like the other women, has been “ruined.” Christian’s apology for the terrible behavior of the man who hurt Mama Nadi is genuine, and he promises Mama Nadi that his particularly sensitive and loving way of being a man is different.
Salima’s dismay at the behavior of her husband, Fortune, upon her return home from her five-month imprisonment, communicates the pain and the disillusionment she has experienced at the hands of men. Although she hates the soldiers for abusing her, she loves Fortune, and his abuse of her hurts her even more deeply, due to the previous closeness of their relationship. When Salima finds out that Fortune has come to find her at Mama Nadi’s, she cannot bear the shame of exposing her pregnancy to him. Additionally, Mama Nadi reminds Salima that she is no longer the wife he knew. These truths combine to drive Salima to tragic desperation, and she dies in her husband’s arms. Fortune, in his pride and his stubborn inability to see Salima’s innocence, offers his wife comfort too late.
Unlock all 32 pages of this Study GuidePlus, gain access to 9,050+ more expert-written Study Guides.
Including features:
Related Titles
By Lynn Nottage
