“We’re all of us afraid of many things, but if you make yourself smaller or let your fear confine you, then you really aren’t your own person at all—are you? The real question is whether or not you will risk what it takes to be happy.”
Beryl had to learn from a young age how difficult life can be. She became especially skilled at conquering her fears because she didn't really have a choice. As an adult, she embraces adventure and enjoys pushing the limits, a natural reward for all her hard work to survive as a girl.
“Things come that we never would have predicted for ourselves or even guessed at. And yet they change us for ever.”
Beryl is a flexible person who adapts well to change. Looking back, she recognizes those moments when her life was changed significantly in a single moment. A great example is the death of Finch Hatton. Although she's suffered a lot in her lifetime, Beryl here attempts to be grateful for the mysterious impact of fate in her life.
“Miwanzo is the word in Swahili for 'beginnings.' But sometimes everything has to end first and the bottom drop out and every light fizzle and die before a proper beginning can come along.”
As Beryl learns, she can start over endlessly. She continually must start her life over again. At first she complains about the constant change and frustration, but eventually she learns to be adaptable enough to recognize the patterns of fortune and misfortune.
“I have fought for independence here, and freedom, too. More and more I find they’re not at all the same thing.”
Beryl has been involved with the Kenyan independence movement for years when she begins to realize this idea. Perhaps political freedom does not mean the newly independent citizens will actually be free. They are still subject to the traumatic colonist mentality which convinces them that they are dependent upon outside forces.
