Snapshots of a Wedding (Themes)

Themes

Tradition Vs. Modernization

Kegoletile’s choice between Neo and Mathata is essentially a choice between tradition and modernization, the past and the future. The past includes the traditions of the village, symbolized not only by the rituals surrounding the wedding ceremony, but also by the economic stagnation and lack of educational opportunity in the village. The hoped-for future is one of economic prosperity and educational opportunities, of wealth and privilege. But the future cannot happen in a vacuum; it must draw from, and build upon, the past. While Kegoletile and Neo forego most of the rituals surrounding the wedding ceremony, they do allow some to take place, such as the exchanges between the maternal aunts and members of the bridegroom’s family. Head implies that the future must slowly wean itself from the past, rather than divorcing the past outright.

Man Vs. Woman

Kegoletile, though he marries Neo and provides for Mathata, is nevertheless in an adversarial relationship with both of them. They each have a claim on him, due to his impregnating them, and he must marry one of them. The women have no authority in this decision, however, even though it will affect both of their lives immensely. The decision is Kegoletile’s alone, and the women can only accept their fates, or work in subtle ways to change them.

Woman Vs. Woman

Neo and Mathata are placed in an adversarial relationship to each other when they are both impregnated by Kegoletile. Neo is confident that her education and future promise will secure Kegoletile, but when she learns that he has been visiting Mathata, she begins to take Mathata seriously as a threat to this security. She becomes pregnant again to make sure that Kegoletile will marry her and not Mathata. Mathata does nothing to encourage such a competition; she is content with the stipend Kegoletile gives her to provide for their child. Nevertheless, it is Mathata’s gentle, easy-going nature that makes her attractive to Kegoletile and the other villagers, especially when compared with Neo’s cold ambition.

Poverty Vs. Prosperity

The fear of poverty and the yearning for prosperity underlie the choices made by the characters in Head’s story. Neo’s choice to become educated and Kegoletile’s choice of Neo as a wife are motivated by a desire to achieve prosperity and thus throw off the economic fetters of uneducated village life. Through the character of Mathata, however, Head implies that prosperity is not always a prescription for a better life: Kegoletile still harbors feelings for Mathata.