Stories of Ourselves: "The Village Saint" by Bessie Head

This short story traces the downfall of a powerful and seemingly saintly woman in a village.

Here are links to our lists for the short stories in Stories of Ourselves:
The Hollow of the Three Hills, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Signalman, The Happy Prince, The Yellow Wall Paper, The Son’s Veto, The Open Boat, The Moving Finger, The Door in the Wall, Sredni Vashtar, How It Happened, Her First Ball, The Lady in the Looking-Glass: A Reflection, The Fly in the Ointment, The Custody of the Pumpkin, An Englishman’s Home, The Phoenix, There Will Come Soft Rains, The Prison, The Destructors, Meteor, Billenium, The Lemon Orchard, The People Before, The Enemy, Five-Twenty, A Horse and Two Goats, Report on the Threatened City, The Rain Horse, Ming’s Biggest Prey, The Village Saint, Secrets, The Stoat, Games at Twilight, The Taste of Watermelon, Journey (Patricia Grace), The Bath, My Greatest Ambition, To Da-duh, in Memoriam, Of White Hairs and Cricket, Elephant, Sandpiper, Journey (Shirley Geok-Lin Um), The Third and Final Continent, Tyres, At Hiruharama, Real Time, On Her Knees, The Contest
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. facade
    a showy misrepresentation to conceal something unpleasant
    People were never fooled by façades.
  2. pompous
    puffed up with vanity
    They would look quietly and humorously behind the façade at the real person – cheat, liar, pompous condescending sham, and so on – and nod their heads in a certain way until destiny caught up with the decrepit one.
  3. condescending
    characteristic of those who treat others with arrogance
    They would look quietly and humorously behind the façade at the real person – cheat, liar, pompous condescending sham, and so on – and nod their heads in a certain way until destiny caught up with the decrepit one.
  4. sham
    a person who makes deceitful pretenses
    They would look quietly and humorously behind the façade at the real person – cheat, liar, pompous condescending sham, and so on – and nod their heads in a certain way until destiny caught up with the decrepit one.
  5. decrepit
    worn and broken down by hard use
    They would look quietly and humorously behind the façade at the real person – cheat, liar, pompous condescending sham, and so on – and nod their heads in a certain way until destiny caught up with the decrepit one.
  6. fanciful
    indulging in or influenced by the imagination
    The village could be rocked from end to end by scandal; the society itself seemed to cater for massive public humiliations of some of its unfortunate citizens and during those times all one’s fanciful, heretical, or venal tendencies would be thoroughly exposed.
  7. heretical
    departing from accepted beliefs or standards
    The village could be rocked from end to end by scandal; the society itself seemed to cater for massive public humiliations of some of its unfortunate citizens and during those times all one’s fanciful, heretical, or venal tendencies would be thoroughly exposed.
  8. venal
    capable of being corrupted
    The village could be rocked from end to end by scandal; the society itself seemed to cater for massive public humiliations of some of its unfortunate citizens and during those times all one’s fanciful, heretical, or venal tendencies would be thoroughly exposed.
  9. acute
    demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions
    Despite this acute insight into human nature, the whole village was aghast the day it lost its patron saint, Mma-Mompati.
  10. austere
    severely simple
    It was so long and so austere and holy that it was written into the very stones and earth of village life.
  11. notorious
    known widely and usually unfavorably
    Their only son, Mompati, was born a year after marriage into this state of affairs – he was born into the Bamangwato tribe, which, as most people know, was famous or notorious for a history of unexpected explosions and intrigues.
  12. intrigue
    a crafty and involved plot to achieve your ends
    Their only son, Mompati, was born a year after marriage into this state of affairs – he was born into the Bamangwato tribe, which, as most people know, was famous or notorious for a history of unexpected explosions and intrigues.
  13. deliberation
    careful consideration
    Whenever an explosion occurred, and there were many at one stage, the elders of the tribe did not wish the people to know of their secret deliberations and this left the people in an agony of suspense and tension.
  14. stocky
    having a short and solid form or stature
    A little patrolman soon appeared on stocky, stubby legs with a set, earnest expression who took turn after turn on duty around the porch to keep all eavesdroppers at bay.
  15. earnest
    not distracted by anything unrelated to the goal
    A little patrolman soon appeared on stocky, stubby legs with a set, earnest expression who took turn after turn on duty around the porch to keep all eavesdroppers at bay.
  16. preside
    act as executive officer
    She presided over teas and luncheons in her home, just like any English lady, with polished etiquette and the professional smile of the highborn who don’t really give a damn about people or anything.
  17. assiduously
    with care and persistence
    And as though to off-set all the intrigues and underworld deals that went on in her home behind closed doors, Mma-Mompati assiduously cultivated her ‘other image’ of the holy woman.
  18. solicitous
    full of anxiety and concern
    She would stop at each bed and enquire solicitously: ‘And what may ail you, my daughter? And what may ail you, my son?’
  19. ail
    cause physical suffering to and make sick or indisposed
    She would stop at each bed and enquire solicitously: ‘And what may ail you, my daughter? And what may ail you, my son?’
  20. sedate
    characterized by dignity and propriety
    On this tide of indignation Mma-Mompati swept sedately into the divorce court.
  21. oration
    an instance of formal speaking
    The whole village memorised her great court oration because she repeated it so often thereafter.
  22. indignant
    angered at something unjust or wrong
    He was highly indignant, in an illogical way, at people, for turning against him.
  23. reconciliation
    the reestablishment of cordial relations
    Soon after the father had disappeared from the village, he was pursued by Mompati in a heart-breaking attempt at reconciliation.
  24. draught
    a current of air
    He developed a fear of any chill or draught.
  25. chronic
    long-lasting or characterized by long suffering
    He kept this ailment as a kind of chronic condition and winter and summer he wrapped himself up warmly against the elements.
  26. acclaim
    enthusiastic approval
    Mma-Mompati kept to her round of funerals, hospital visits, and church-going and her son built up a public acclaim all his own.
  27. stern
    serious and harsh in manner or behavior
    Above the clamour of voices, every now and then rose the deep, booming bass of Mompati, either in a hearty laugh or in stern and forcefully delivered advice to those in conflict or pain.
  28. spare
    use frugally or carefully
    Suddenly, the bass voice would boom through the shop: ‘I say, my friend, if you spare the rod, you spoil the child.’
  29. query
    pose a question
    Sometimes shoppers humorously queried: ‘Mompati, why is it that there is no flour or soap in this shop? I’ve hunted for these goods for a whole week here and I cannot find them.’
  30. plaintive
    expressing sorrow
    Then Mompati fell in love with Mary Pule, a thin, wilting, willowy dreamy girl with a plaintive, tremulous voice.
  31. tremulous
    quivering as from weakness or fear
    Then Mompati fell in love with Mary Pule, a thin, wilting, willowy dreamy girl with a plaintive, tremulous voice.
  32. tenacious
    stubbornly unyielding
    She had a façade too that concealed a tenacious will.
  33. elation
    a feeling of joy and pride
    He shared his depressions and elations with his mother.
  34. ensuing
    following immediately and as a result of what went before
    She noted that her daughter-in-law often looked gloomy and depressed in the ensuing days; her son was cold and reserved.
  35. brittle
    lacking warmth and generosity of spirit
    She attacked the daughter-in-law with brittle smiles: ‘Well, what’s wrong with you, my child? Can’t you greet an old person in a cheerful way?’
Created on Tue Mar 13 14:20:21 EDT 2018 (updated Mon Mar 26 09:36:49 EDT 2018)

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