Mark is one of Barack’s half brothers and the first son of the Old Man and Ruth. Mark had no issue with Ruth taking him and David away from Kenya upon her divorce from the Old Man. When Barack meets him, he finds Mark maddeningly superior and uninterested in connecting with his Kenyan heritage. Mark resents their father for the way he treated him and Ruth and though he and Barack promise to write, Barack knows they never will.
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Mark Character Timeline in Dreams from My Father
The timeline below shows where the character Mark appears in Dreams from My Father. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 11
...four brothers were born around this time: Abo and Bernard to Kezia, and David and Mark to Ruth. Abo and Bernard never came to Nairobi. Ruth was nice enough until David...
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Chapter 16
...on the street mistake him for David. Auma explains that she hasn’t seen Ruth and Mark since David’s funeral. After Ruth and the Old Man’s bitter divorce, Ruth married a Tanzanian,...
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...later, Auma receives an invitation for her and Barack to have lunch with Ruth and Mark. Barack insists they go. Ruth lives in an expensive neighborhood that reminds Barack of some...
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A week later, Barack invites Mark to lunch. Mark is more relaxed and says he’s glad to be back in Kenya...
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