ALLUSIONS IN THE NOVEL THE TIES THAT BIND

DANIEL

The novel The Ties That Bind is rich in biblical allusions. This does not come as a surprise given the fact that the writer Chidavaenzi is a Christian and that the novel seeks to establish God or religion as a panacea for the perplexing challenges of, among other things, HIV and AIDS. The various experiences and circumstances surrounding some characters are aptly captured through a number of carefully chosen biblical references. 

The book of Daniel chronicles the experiences of Daniel, a Jew in a foreign land, Babylon.  The most defining attribute of Daniel is his steadfastness regarding his faith in God. Although he was in a foreign land abound with many foes, he remained truthful to God. By referring to herself as Daniel, Jacqueline brings out the difficulties she faced as a child growing up in a family afflicted by dire poverty. Saying "it was a hard act playing Daniel in a den of lions" portrays Highfield neighbourhood as an unsafe place for a growing girl child. Many youngsters have their dreams shattered as they drop out of school as a result of lack of money for fees and orphanhood. Modisa, a girl of school going age falls pregnant, thus bringing her academic career to a sudden halt. 

As HIV and AIDS ravage poor neighbourhoods, the trail of orphans left behind, only to be looked after by elderly caretakers who have grown beyond child bearing age, find it difficult to shape their future. The pangs of hunger and general poverty force many a youngster to venture into prostitution. Jacqueline and her cousins are hard hit by destitution as a result of a combination of orphanhood and economic meltdown. Growing up under the care of old Mbuya Maria Masosa, a vegetable vendor, food is hard to come by and whenever it is found, it is mainly in the form of unsavoury boiled cabbage and pap. 

Daniel's enemies plot to have him killed by King Darius for his refusal to pray to Darius. When Daniel is eventually thrown into the lion's den as punishment, he is miraculously saved by God who prevents the lions from eating him. The likelihood of being eaten by the lions was very high, but because Daniel was a steadfast servant of God, he is saved. Jacqualine's life, to some extent parallels Daniel's life. From a tender age, she is a determined student. Her diligence in her school work yields positive results as she passes with flying colours all the time, creating a sharp contrast between her and her cousin sisters. When her cousins start earning money through offering sex to older men, Jacqualine is appalled by such behaviour, refusing to eat the expensive food bought by her cousin's clients. This kind of attitude makes her a subject of mockery among her cousins.

While it may be argued that Jacualine's character is far from being that of a saint as she yields to indulging in sex before marriage, her survival portrays her as the chosen one. From a tender age, her strong sense of focus and direction is striking. All the economic challenges and the allurements flagged in front of her in the form of money and food from men in exchange for sex fail to sway her from her straight path. Eventually, she gets adopted by Robert Masosa, who takes charge of her school expenses. Robert Masosa's act of adopting Jacqualine is similar to God's act of rescuing Daniel from being devoured by the lions. In contrast, all those who had conspired against against Daniel are devoured by the lions within a short space of time upon being thrown into the den. In a similar, while Jacqualine triumphs in the end, her cousin sisters get afflicted by a number of difficult circumstances with some of them eventually dying prematurely.

The contrast between uprightness and immorality are brought out sharply in the text The Ties That Bind. Through the use of poetic justice involving rewarding good behaviour and punishing bad behaviour, Chidavaenzi manages to anchor the novel on Christianity. The demise of some of Jacquline's cousins is horrifying. Yolanda dies in a fight over a man with Peggy. Shelter dies of AIDS, having started indulging in sex from a tender age, contracting HIV in the process. It is ironic that the very people who mock Jacqueline, warning her that the final examinations will reduce her "to size" end up dying under horrible circumstances. Jacqueline, the despised Cinderella manages to accomplish her goals of becoming a successful lawyer, just like Daniel who, not only emerges unscathed from the lions' den, but also gets lauded with honours by the King.