Roots of the sky

the Roots of the sky is a Romance of Romain Gary for which the Prix Goncourt was decreed to him in 1956.

This novel, writes before Romain Gary does not take the pseudonym of Emile Ajar, was a large success .

The novel was adapted to the cinema by John Huston in 1958: Roots of the sky .

Synopsis

The history occurs in 1953 to the Chad. French, Morel, try to defend the elephants, while trying to make sign a petition. In front of the failure of this initiative, it takes the maquis and carries out armed actions against the largest poachers.

Characters

The novel comprises many different characters, which can make the history a little complicated.

Morel : Hero of the history, French who defends the elephants, initially with a petition, then by taking the maquis.

Undermined : Born in Berlin during the war. His uncle the male prostitute, it falls in love with a Russian soldier, and wants to leave with him to France. His/her uncle denounces it. It decides to leave, and is found entraineuse in a nightclub in the Maghreb, before moving to the Chadian. Once discovered Habib, it joined Morel.

Bobcack : English colonel.

Peer Qvist : Swedish naturalist, impassioned by the animals and their protection, with the “expeditious” methods sometimes. He follows Morel in the maquis, although he is already strongly old.

Abe Fields : A photographer who makes a photo report on the dryness. Its plane is crushed, and it falls on Morel and its group; it remains with them, and carries out a new report. It is persuaded that it will die of a cancer of the anus or prostate. He says perfect being cynical, and to be interested in the world to only draw some from the photograph, therefore of the money.

the governor : To trust of its role, very irritated to deal with eccentric which defends the elephants, in its area. For him, the defense of the elephants is nothing beside technological advances and medical which it brought to the area.

the father Tassin : Priest Jesuit, fact of archaeological research on the origin of humanity in a moved back area of Africa. Some think that it was put there because of some of its theses, which curl the heretism.

Holy Denis : Priest Jesuit, administrator of an area, very attached to Africa.

Orsini : Hunter of exception, in other of elephants. One of the first to consider that Morel is dangerous.

Schölscher : Officer meharist, deals with the investigation into Morel. In love with Africa and very monk, it ends up being withdrawn in a monastery.

Habib : Former sailor, has in Fort Lamy a bar, the Chadian. Actually, it makes also traffic of weapons for the account of African rebels. When he is discovered, he flees with Morel in the maquis.

of Vries : Friend of Habib, follows it until Morel kills it.

Idriss : African tracker that one believed dead, it follows Morel in the maquis.

Haas : He works for a circus, by capturing elephants. One evening that it keeps an elephant calf just captured, Morel draws a ball in the buttocks to him, wounding it seriously.

Waïtiri : Freedom fighter, made his studies in Europe where it has his family besides. It maquise with Morel, wanting to combine the cause of the elephants and the side-African cause, before separating from him and it to make captive. Its bigger problem is to be independence in an area whose inhabitants do not seek independence at all (in 1953, the European ideas concerning the right of the people to have themselves are not diffused yet in Africa where the decolonization did not start).

Jonnhy Forsythe : American major who fought during the Guerre of Vietnam. He acknowledged with the radio which he had used of the toxic weapons, which attracted the hatred of the American population to him. This experiment, coupled to a stay in a Vietnamese prison camp, returned it misanthropist. It joined Morel with the maquis naturally.

the father Fargue : Priest and doctor. He considers that Morel made error as a militant for the elephants. Indeed, he forgets to deal with patients, and he neglects the role of God completely.

Dwala : Chief of a tribe under the administration of Denis Saint, of which he is the friend. Against an annual tribute, the old African wizard promised ressusciter Saint Denis in the shape of a oak.

Korotoro : African continued by justice to have plundered shops. He dies while wanting to prevent the men of Waïtiri from fleeing, when those break with Morel.

Youssef : Young African who accompanies Morel. Actually, Waïtiri required of him to kill French if this one is made stop by the authorities. Its death would make it possible to make a hero of independence of them. Finally, Youssef gives up and flees with Morel and Idriss.

Course of the history

With the whole beginning, the Tassin father joined Saint Denis.Il wants to ask him for details, one does not know why, about the history of Morel. With the Tassin father, the reader enters the history. The history can be rather difficult, because the narrators are numerous: the father Tassin, Schölscher (which explain how the lawsuit occurs at the end) and the omniscient narrator. Denis saint tells first of all the history of Mined: it was in Berlin at the time of the war. His/her uncle prostituait it. It then fell in love with a soldier trick, and they decide to flee together. The uncle, with the current, denounces it and the fact of imprisoning. She, internally wounded, seeks to leave, she finds a place of entraîneuse in a nightclub of North Africa. But it is not rather far, it seeks to go deeper to Africa. It is there that it finds an employment with the Chadian, the bar which Habib holds. It meets Morel, insane French over there who makes sign a petition for the defense of the elephants, that it hastens to sign. Happy in Chad, in the middle of the animals, it is perhaps the only one to include/understand Morel well. Morel, frustrated to him by its successive failures, decides to take the maquis. The days which follow, several hunters are made draw above while they drive out the elephant. The authorities worry, fearing a movement of independence. The business spreads little by little… Saint Denis leaves in the maquis to seek Morel, to reason it. He meets the naturalist Peer Qvist, the freedom fighter Waïtiri, the gangster Korotoro, the smuggler Habib (who had disappeared since his traffic of weapons had been discovered) and his May Haas. He sets out again without to have been able to reason any of it… Mined questions it, with its return. Then, it also, disappears mysteriously with major Forsythe, a jeep, and cases of ammunition: they join the maquis! The most outstanding event which follows is the treason of Waïtiri: this one seeks independence, it initially believes that Morel can help it, before realizing that this one is interested only in the elephants. After having left it, it returns to attack the elephants of the reserve, with Habib and Haas. Morel, Peer Qvist, Mined and Forsyte are made prisoners. The latter viennet to meet Abe Fields, journalist photographer, who came to take photographs of the dryness, and whose plane was crushed. After a good ivory harvest, Waïtiri sets out again. In way, it is made prisoner by Schölscher: ivory smuggling. As for our heroes, that Waïtiri released, they set out again, with Abe Fields. Morel is accompanied by Youssef, young African that Waïtiri entrusted to him, makes some to kill it, and to make a hero of independence of them. It is also accompanied by Idriss, a African tracker. Mined, Forsythe and Abe Fields, exhausted, stop, and recover to the hands from the authorities. Morel is inserted in the maquis with Youssef and Idriss. Youssef gives up killing it. They disappear all the three. Towards the end of their adventure, the small group acquired a world famous. After the lawsuit, Forsythe and Minna marry. As for Morel, some say that it took refuge in the Tassin father, but makes some, nobody does not know what it became…

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