Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Dreams from My Father, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Family and Community
Fathers, Sons, and Manhood
Race and Identity
Storytelling and Truth
Summary
Analysis
Barack stayed in Kenya for two weeks after that day. Before leaving, Barack and Auma decided to go see George, the Old Man’s last child. Zeituni drove them to a school and led a little boy over to them. Barack realized right away they’d made a mistake—he remembered his own fear when he first met the Old Man and had to confront that he was part of something bigger. That night, Auma took Barack to a friend of the Old Man’s, Dr. Rukia Odero. She was thrilled that Barack was leaving Kenya with questions and lamented that Black Americans romanticize Africa, just as young Africans romanticize America.
Because Barack now understands how much there is to sift through when it comes to his family, he recognizes that showing up out of the blue is a lot to put on little George. Barack suspects that George is happy in a life that presumably includes his mother and stories of his father—and Barack remembers how frightening it was to have his own stories of the Old Man come to life before his eyes when he was a child. But because they’re family, Barack and his siblings will be there for George when George is ready.
Themes
When Barack asked why many Black Americans are disappointed by visiting Africa, Rukia pointed out that they come looking for “the authentic”—but that doesn’t exist. For instance, their spices are from India and Kenyans love their tea, which is British. Rukia said that Black Americans’ desires are understandable—Europeans have historically treated everyone horribly, so the idea of pre-European Africa is exciting. Rukia suggested that the only way forward is to learn the truth and to look objectively at history and customs. To her, it’s necessary to try lots of things and choose what works. But still, Rukia feels connected to Africa and the culture. She laughed when she acknowledged that her daughter’s first language is English, and she emphasized that she is more interested in having a daughter who’s true to herself than who’s authentically African.
Rukia essentially suggests that it’s fruitless to try to think of Africa as an idyllic place unaffected by racism or globalization. Rather, what’s more important is to cultivate one’s own individual identity. This may well include traveling to Africa and experiencing the culture of one’s ancestors, but Rukia encourages Barack to understand that even that is just a small part of who he is. By mentioning her daughter, Rukia also demonstrates how Black parents can guide their children toward adulthood. They can be open and accepting of who their children are—even if they’re not who their parents expect.
Themes
It’s been six years since Barack went to Kenya for the first time. At Harvard, Barack discovered that law can be disappointing—it seemed, at times, to just explain why some people have power and others don’t. But Barack sees that the law is also the nation’s memory. The law details who is part of the community and how people turn power into justice. Though Barack has faith in this process, it’s hard to sustain the faith—returning to Chicago, he found things in a worse state than when he left. In his legal practice, Barack works with community groups and occasionally takes discrimination cases.
After attending law school, Barack comes to understand that the law—comprised of court cases, personalities, and stories of how court rulings impact people in society—tells its own story about the United States. But it’s also easier to see this story if one takes a long view; working as a lawyer, it might not be as apparent to Barack that he’s a part of that story.
Themes
Barack believes that he’s more patient now, mostly thanks to his wife, Michelle. She grew up on the South Side of Chicago and reminds Barack of Toot. After they get engaged, Barack took Michelle to Kenya. Everyone loved her. But life in Kenya seemed more difficult; Sarah and Kezia still weren’t speaking, and Bernard, Abo, and Sayid were still unemployed. Billy died of AIDS not long after their visit. Despite the deaths of Michelle’s father and Gramps, Michelle and Barack proceed with their wedding at Trinity, which is officiated by by Reverend Wright. Everyone from Barack’s past is there, from Johnnie and Scott to Angela, Shirley, Mona, and Auma.
As Barack gets married, he stares down the fact that he’ll have to make some of the same decisions that Onyango and the Old Man made before him—how to engage with Michelle, how to engage with his children, and how to engage with the wider world around him. The vast number of people from all parts of his life who attend the wedding suggest that Barack has every intention of continuing to cultivate a diverse community around himself and his family.
Themes
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Roy, however, makes Barack the proudest. He now goes by Abongo, has converted to Islam, and plans to move to Kenya and start a business when he has enough money. He still scolds Auma for her “European ways,” but he’s becoming more comfortable as a Black man—and his laughter is still magical. Abongo looks dignified and acts the part of the older brother at the wedding. Near the end of the reception, Barack sees him with his arms slung around Toot and Ann. He tells Barack that he has two new mothers now, and Toot says she has a new son. They drink to those who aren’t with them and dribble their drinks onto the floor.
Now that Abongo is more sure of himself and where he stands within the family, it no longer reads as a stunt to pour out a little alcohol for his ancestors. And drawing Toot and Ann into the tradition helps cement the idea that, although Barack got married, Abongo now has new individuals to think of as family. With this, Barack proposes finally that families and communities are always growing and reinventing themselves, and they can do so more successfully when members are open and honest with themselves and each other.
Themes
