Silver Lining in Dark Clouds

When the darkness comes, keep an eye on the light - whatever that is for you - no matter how far away it seems.
Jan Berry

Everyone at one or more times in their life will struggle, will go through something difficult, and have to find a way out of it. It may be some kind of addiction or problems with family members, whatever it is there is light at the end of the tunnel. At the time it seems like the whole world is dark and there’s no hope for anything to get better, but there is always that silver lining in the dark cloud, the light at the end of the tunnel. It’s just a matter of finding that light and reaching for it and holding on.

Elizabeth, in my opinion, goes through darkness that is the most evil and horrible thing that a person could ever deal with. In Bessie Head’s novel, A Question of Power, Elizabeth struggles with visions that cause her to go crazy. She sees people that are taunting her and poking at her in every way possible. The two different people that she sees seem so real and affect her every day life. She has a son, had a job at a school at one point, but was fired from that. It seems that all is lost for her. However, thankfully, she finds that light amongst the darkness. In fact she finds hope and comfort in two very important ways.

After being in the hospital following a horrific outburst, Elizabeth finds herself working as a gardener for a co-op of sorts that produces food through alternative agricultural practices like using different types of irrigation and almost completely sustainable. Here Elizabeth finds peace and contentment in her garden. It is a way for her to do “real life.” She has relief from the madness that is going on inside her head. “As she walked down…to the vegetable garden…seemed to Elizabeth the greatest adventure she would ever take” (p 72). She is finally able to do something that brings her joy. It’s an experience that brings her back to life. I can completely relate to the feelings of accomplishment and delight that happens when gardening; it’s a very beneficial thing to do. I also think that a lot of people turn to some kind of job or “doing” that they enjoy or find pleasure in when they are going through hard times. It turns into a form of release and distraction from whatever else is going on. This is what has occurred in Elizabeth’s life, she has been able to remove herself from her inner thoughts and focus on something that is stimulating. “If such a beauty and harmony built up in her outward circumstances it was at total odds with the tormented hell in her inner world” (p 157). Her visions were still going on, but she had more time that she was able to focus on her gardening. “Half of her attention was turned towards the daily round of a vegetable gardener’s life..” (p 157). I think it was so crucial for her to find this comfort in the gardening. 

In this garden, her and her new found friend Kenosi, have come up with a way to make Cape Gooseberry jam and are very successful.  The Cape Gooseberry isn't a berry that can usually be grown where they are, so the accomplishment of it is extraordinary!  “She walked to the shelf and picked up a bottle filled with golden, whole-fruit, gooseberry jam” (p 152).  “The Cape Gooseberry is also a good health food for the family as it is rich in vitamin C..”(p 153).  What Elizabeth is able to achieve with the gooseberry jam, along with the vegetables of course, helps to strengthen her sense of purpose and worth.

Another way in which Elizabeth is finally able to feel something besides fear and hatred toward the world is through her friend and helper, Tom. Tom is such an important figure in Elizabeth’s recovery! Which is totally normal and obvious for a person going through a crisis. It’s inevitable that when people struggle, those who care about us will hopefully try to come to our aide and get us through. It’s what friends do! Tom is able to laugh with Elizabeth! There is nothing better than laughter to lighten the mood. After Elizabeth had had some horrible visions that caused her to scream and yell at Dan, he comes in and completely forgives her. He even mimics what she said to him and lightens the mood and laughs again, hysterically. “You can call me any damn thing you want…”(p 187). He knows that she didn’t do it on purpose and comes back to just talk. God friends do these kinds of things for each other and that is why they are so important and real for people struggling. It’s this real relationship that also helps bring Elizabeth out of the depths of despair. After Tom had commented on how much Elizabeth was important to the co-op and how much he knew she loved all the veggies and basically, just good things about her…. “Her soul-death was really over in that instant, though she didn’t not realize it. He seemed to have in an intangible way…pulled her out. “She was poised from that moment to make a great leap out of hell” (p 188). This is a huge moment for her! It is because of this very real relationship with Tom and his words of love and encouragement that she is finally able to see the silver lining in the dark clouds! Tom also tells her “of course, I will be here every day” (p 189). Friends stay by one another until the darkness is completely gone. This is very central to the healing of Elizabeth.

No matter what happens in life there is always something that will help is out of the darkness and back into the light. I think this is what makes life exciting. We learn the most from the pit falls in life, but what there is to help us out is important as well. Elizabeth was very lucky to have the garden where she could gain some realness about life and focus on something that brought her joy. She also was blessed to have Dan as a friend to help her and support her through her “dark clouds.”