Looking For The Rain God Theme

Theme is the central idea running troughout the story. There may be more than one theme in a short story. There are a few themes in the short story “Looking For The Rain God” by Betty Heads. One of them is The forces of nature. The themes deals with the forces of nature where man is not able to control the forces of nature but on the other hand, the forces of nature control and affect man. In the story, the forces of nature are powerful and are able to affect people’s behaviours. The sun is a great sourse of life but it also a great blazing ball of fire. It burns the skin when in contact, and absorb the moisture from the earth. The intense heat is unbearable. The rain is a source of water for other people. It is a source of life as it is important for living and the people depend on it for agricultural activities. However, the seven year drought changes everything. The people started seeking help from charlatans, incanter and even withc doctors to make the rain fall to boost their confidence. The people expect a downpour but only slight rain falls in november. The forces of nature reifn and cause people to suffer endlessly. HUMANITY The theme humanity also present in the story. Humanity is about caring for one another, and protecting the innocent from troubles and dangers. Humanity is against the killing of children or any person. Human sacrifice is the thing of the past and is not practical in modern era anymore as there is law and order. Moreover, it is morelly and legally wrong to kill someone intentionally or unintentionally. Human rights and laws provide for the protection of children and individuals. There is no excuse to kill others in the name of sacrifice like what the mokgobja family did to the little girl as it brings nothing good more than regrets, misery and sadness.