Bricks from Straw

“It seems he could not make bricks without something, I don’t know what—straw maybe.” (Conrad 33).

In Exodus 5:7, Pharaoh says, “Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves.” (http://bible.cc/exodus/5-7.htm) The situation of the European brickmaker is a contrast and comparison to the slaves that the Pharaoh was commanding in Exodus. These slaves accomplished a great amount, also in the heart of Africa, as the brickmaker is; they built the pyramids and many buildings in Egypt. However, this brickmaker is just waiting for supplies which appear not to be coming, such as straw, and therefore is not accomplishing anything; he is not building any cities or even buildings. This emphasizes the ineffectiveness of the European mission into Africa.