Repairing a broken soul

The dismal situation waste and wild,

John Milton, Paradise Lost, Book I

John Milton compares the depths of hell in his epic Paradise Lost, as being consumed by such vast darkness that all one can see is black without any flicker of light. Elizabeth, in Bessie Head’s novel, A Question of Power, is dragged through the wrath of hell overcome by raw evil. Elizabeth was not drudging through hell for attempting to overturn God as Lucifer in Paradise Lost. However, her journey was taken, with Dan as her guide, with the purpose to show just how horrid evil truly is. How could Elizabeth ever know true goodness without having pure, raw evil to compare it to?

While experiencing her travels of hell, Elizabeth did not know why she being subjected to such torture, she thought of it as punishment. Knowledge of a purpose would have made the journey easier, less dramatic, and not be an effective teaching tool. Prior to entering hell Elizabeth had a broken spirit, was incomplete. Traveling through hell, furthered in breaking her spirit. Simultaneous to vacationing in hell, Elizabeth had to "deal" with her real life: work, a young child, daily tasks, and interacting with people. Some aspects of her real life, presented as problems. Randomly Elizabeth screamed obscenities at people in a store, causing her to be forcibly admitted to a mental hospital, fired from her job as a teacher, and making her unfit to care for her son, Shorty.

But with aide (a lot of aide), she progressively recovered, repairing her spirit, and lifting out of hell.

Various outside influences helped Elizabeth recover her spirit. Cultivating the garden with Kensoi and Tom at the co-op, are huge factors. The closeness and nurturing relationship with the garden created a reliable environment. "…the vegetable garden seemed to Elizabeth the greatest adventure she was ever to undertake. It is impossible to become a vegetable gardener without at the same time coming into contact with the wonderful strangeness of human nature," (72). The garden served to monitor and display growth of organic life and the development of the soul. Innovative fertilization schemes and irrigation techniques along with the co-op provide sustainability and industry. These mend Elizabeth from being broken and help create a wholeness of spirit, especially in addition to experiencing hell.

In addition to the garden/co-op, Kensoi is a positive influence. Elizabeth’s first description of Kensoi is "She is the sort of woman who simply ate up all the work in front of her, with a deep silence and concentration. There was a wonderful majesty and purposefulness about her, like the way cats go about their daily affair." (88) Kensoi’s spirit emits directionality. She brings Elizabeth out of her hell into a more specific and purposeful path. She is exactly what Elizabeth needs as a lever out of hell. The pair of Elizabeth and Kensoi were described as, "They were a perfect work-team together, silent, intent and yet always dependent on each other for a hand to lift a weight here and ease a load there, (111). The team effort was in effect a crutch for Elizabeth to depend upon, deriving strength from another when needed and providing help as well. Either way, helped repair Elizabeth.

Tom is another character, besides for Kensoi, that aides Elizabeth in her recovery process. His existence provides Elizabeth with the kind of ordinariness in life that she craves. Tom formed a deep connection with Elizabeth instantly, "where did any friendship begin of that other kind where people turn their heads slowly and stare deeply into the mystery of life?...he kept turning his head with a sudden deep expression of wisdom in his eyes," (112). Tom and Elizabeth talked intimately on various subjects. He helped connect her to humanity. Even in states of madness, Tom overlooked Elizabeth’s rants. He remained a constant factor that helped created stability. When Elizabeth was at one her low points, near her mental and emotional death from being subjected to hell, Tom pulled her back to life. "Her soul-death was really over in that instant, though she did not realize it. He seemed to have, in an intangible way, seen her sitting inside that coffin, reached down and pulled her out. The rest she did herself. She was poised from that moment to make the great leap out of hell," (188). She was able to overcome hell and see the goodness in human nature, making her soul whole from pieces.

Elizabeth developed her soul with aid from her work in the co-op’s garden, Kensoi and Tom’s direction and ordinariness. Elizabeth derives the strength she needs to repair her soul from her trip into hell of Milton’s vast darkness.