Finding the What

The last third of the book, after Tabitha is murdered, exemplifies hope in both Achak's  past and present life.  By the end of the book, the author's tone also infers that Achak has adapted to change; He has accepted his misfortunes and is ready to move on, but he will not forget his past or the lessons it has taught him.  Throughout the these pages of What is the What, hope is demonstrated in all characters.  Pg 492, "Tabitha would talk only about the United States, about Seattle, about what she would find there.....Oh, she would laugh, the kaleidoscopic possibilities!" Pg 487; Maria, "I told her what I knew: that girls were invited to apply.....When I told her this, a light came to her eyes, for a moment, before flickering out." Pg 535; Achak, "Whatever I do, however I find a way to live, I will tell these stories."  There is hope when Ms. Gladys lets the refugees act in a large city, when the possibility of leaving Kakuma is presented, when Achak hears of his parents' survival and even when Achak speaks to the boy who stole his cell phone.  Achak loses people who mean the world to him time and time again, and he receives each blow with a strong will and faith in his god.


There were many joyful and painful moments in What is the What, and I find myself noticing a bit more of all the luxuries in my world.  Many parts of the book were touching, such as the passages where people showed Achak love and comforted him as a wandering child, but perhaps the most touching was the part where he was able to comfort someone else.  Towards the end of the book, a group of men from Sudan are bracing themselves for departure the next day.  The youngest boy appears to be frightened, and Achak lets him know that they are a team and will no longer be ignored. "But we're no longer rain, I said,- we're no longer seeds.  We're men. Now we can stand and decide.  This is our first chance to choose our own unknown.  I'm so proud of everything we've done, my brothers, and if we're fortunate enough to fly and land again in a new place, we must continue. As impossible as it sounds, we must keep walking. And yes, there has been suffering, but now there will be grace.  There has been pain but now there will be serenity.  No one has been tried as we have been tried, and now this is our reward, whether it be heaven or something less than that".  If I ever go through hardships even 5% as difficult as those of Achak in my life, I hope that I will have someone who can comfort with words like these, and a group of people as resilient as them to carry me along.