To begin, the first lesson of the story seems to be about the negative results of Sassouma Bérété's envious behavior. In addition to contributing to a somewhat cloudy message that is taught by the book, the character's actions also depict women in a troublesome and somewhat stereotypical light. For example, when Sundiata is first born to Sogolon, she is not angered by Maghan's infidelity, but rather by the idea that her son becomes less entitled to the throne: "Maghan already has my fine son as his heir,' she muttered bitterly. ' What need has he of another, especially from this hideous woman?"(6). First, I do want to note that I have no knowledge of the social customs of Mali, and perhaps it is normal for a king to take a second wife and have a child with her. Nevertheless, Sassouma's greed is still entirely evident. Not only does she become contentious over her sons right to the throne, but she also attempts to take down Sogolon through remarks about her beauty. As such, Sassouma's personality consists of female qualities that have become typical of the Disney source materials discussed in my blogs -- greed, and a sense of vanity or concern for looks. Furthermore, whereas Sassouma is certainly angered by Sundiata's birth, based on the picture on the page, her son only seems to be concerned about his mother's outrage. Therefore, in comparison to her son, Sassouma's "womanly greed" is even further emphasized. A similar trend occurs throughout the rest of the tale as well. Sassouma's son does not take a single action to protect his right to the throne -- in fact he abandons it. On the other hand, Sassouma not only sends witches into the garden to anger Sundiata, but she also sends his "griot" away to the land of "Sosso". In fact, Wisniewski describes Sassouma's approach to the action by writing, "so Sassouma Bérété bided her time. When she had Balla Fasséké sent away to the court of Sosso"(15). Thus, Sassouma's desire for her son to hold the throne drives her to wait for the perfect time to strike, before making use of a drastic action. The act of sending Balla away, however, does end up coming back to haunt Sassouma -- as the evil "sorcerer king" of Sosso" comes to usurp the throne. Therefore, in the end, the character Sassouma does provide a valuable lesson about envy. Nevertheless, the lesson is taught in a way that makes use of female stereotypes.
Whereas the first lesson taught by the tale is legitimate (although it is delivered in a problematic way), I question the usefulness of the message that is taught by Sundiata's ascendence to the throne. Even though he is the "son of lion and buffalo," Sundiata does not ever truly act in a mighty or wise way(3). At first, his mother determines it unsafe to remain in the kingdom, and she is the one who decides to leave. More notably, however, Sundiata's most heroic act in the novel would not be possible without the help of his griot Balla. Even though Sundiata does answer the call to fight and "searches for Sumanguru", his success in the battle depends on Balla's wisdom and powers: "This is the tana of Sumanguru ... the charm he believes will erase his power. The slightest touch will defeat him utterly!" (22, 24). Thus, Sundiata merely has to shoot an arrow at Sumanguru, and he does not even have to kill him with it -- simply being hit with the tana destroys Sumanguru's belief in his powers. As such, Sundiata has a relatively easy task, and does not endure much difficulty in taking down the evil sorcerer. Nevertheless, Sundiata ends up being rewarded with the throne as a result of his success in the battlefield. I recognize that Wisniewski introduces a line toward the end of the tale that may contradict my argument here, when he writes "Hatred drove me from this land ... because of what I seemed to be: a crawling child, unworthy of respect and unfit to rule. Mali has suffered great hardship as a result" (27). Perhaps, then, the lesson here is that Sundiata -- or any king -- ought to be fit to rule before becoming king. Nevertheless, while I do recognize that Sundiata completes a full physical and mental transformation in the book, his actions are still dependent upon other characters -- an "unkingly"quality. Thus, I contend that the line does not nullify my argument, and that the tale sends out the somewhat useless message that Sundiata is rewarded merely for his heritage and not for any sort of behavior or qualities.
Also, although it is unrelated to the point I am trying to make, the arrow and Sumanguru's reaction to it are fairly ridiculous and unsatisfying ways to end the short conflict in the story.
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