Misery

by

Stephen King

Africa Symbol Icon

Africa represents the “real” world outside the prison of Annie’s house—and Paul’s increasing distance from that reality. Recalling a childhood visit to the Boston Zoo with his mother, Paul imagines himself as an exotic African bird held in captivity, far from its homeland. He frequently thinks the word “Africa” (and occasionally says it aloud) in moments of desperation, seemingly using it as motivation to survive, even though escape seems impossible. Paul compares Annie to an African idol, alluding to the strange devotion captives may feel toward the jailers who determine their fate. Eventually, Paul’s fixation on Africa makes its way into Misery’s Return. Misery, Ian, and Geoffrey travel to the African continent in search of Misery’s father and the source of her mysterious vulnerability to bee stings. Here, Paul’s associations with Africa become muddled, emphasizing its foreignness over its familiarity. It is possible to read this as Paul’s increasing disassociation from the reality Africa represents, as his stay with Annie lengthens indefinitely. Just as the lines between fiction and reality blur, Paul’s imprisonment begins to feel more real than the outside world, which now seems like a distant dream. Nevertheless, Paul sustains his desire to escape confinement, as seen when he breaks the guestroom window to get Officer Duane Kushner’s attention, shouting “Africa!” the whole time. In this moment, Paul overcomes his fear of Annie, screaming his wish to return to that half-forgotten but free reality.

Africa Quotes in Misery

The Misery quotes below all refer to the symbol of Africa. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Addiction, Compulsion, and Obsession Theme Icon
).
Part 3, Chapters 11-22 Quotes

There, within plain sight, was salvation: all he had to do was break the window and the dog-lock the bitch had put on his tongue and scream Help me, help me, save me from Annie! Save me from the goddess!

At the same time another voice was screaming: I’ll be good, Annie! I won’t scream! I’ll be good for goddess’ sake! I promise not to scream, just don’t chop off any more of me!

Related Characters: Paul Sheldon (speaker), Annie Wilkes
Related Symbols: Africa
Page Number: 267
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 3, Chapters 34-48 Quotes

But his ideas about God—like his ideas about so many things, had changed. They had changed in Africa. In Africa, he had discovered that there was not just one God but many, and some were more than cruel—they were insane, and that changed all. Cruelty, after all, was understandable. With insanity, however, there was no arguing.

If his Misery were truly dead, as he had come to fear, he intended to go up on the foredeck and throw himself over the rail. He had always known and accepted the fact that the gods were hard; he had no desire, however, to live in a world where the gods were insane.

Related Characters: Paul Sheldon, Annie Wilkes, Misery Chastain, Geoffrey Alliburton, The Bourkas
Related Symbols: Typewriter, Africa
Page Number: 322
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Misery LitChart as a printable PDF.
Misery PDF

Africa Symbol Timeline in Misery

The timeline below shows where the symbol Africa appears in Misery. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 1, Chapters 1-13
Addiction, Compulsion, and Obsession Theme Icon
Fiction, Reality, and Coping Theme Icon
Control and Entrapment Theme Icon
...to land him in Annie’s bed. Annie reminds Paul of a stone idol worshipped by African tribes in H. Rider Haggard novels. He senses she is completely solid, with no internal... (full context)
Fiction, Reality, and Coping Theme Icon
Control and Entrapment Theme Icon
...he concludes that her colleagues must have noticed her mental illness. He remembers an exotic African bird he once saw in the Boston zoo, and he thinks of himself as a... (full context)
Addiction, Compulsion, and Obsession Theme Icon
Fiction, Reality, and Coping Theme Icon
...see Annie is almost finished reading Misery’s Child, and he tells her he dreamt of Africa. The next morning, Annie enters Paul’s room in a rage, having finished reading Misery’s Child.... (full context)
Part 1, Chapters 14-28
Fiction, Reality, and Coping Theme Icon
Control and Entrapment Theme Icon
...appearance in court). Paul reasons that Annie—unstable and driven to panic—will certainly kill her “rare [African] bird” rather than risk imprisonment. He concludes that, when spring comes, the authorities will discover... (full context)
Part 2, Chapters 1-6
Addiction, Compulsion, and Obsession Theme Icon
Fiction, Reality, and Coping Theme Icon
Suffering, Justice, and the Human Condition Theme Icon
Control and Entrapment Theme Icon
Paul slides paper into the typewriter and begins Misery’s Return again. He thinks of the African bird in the Boston Zoo, Rocket Man’s parachute, and Annie rinsing the wall. Paul drifts... (full context)
Part 2, Chapters 7-17
Addiction, Compulsion, and Obsession Theme Icon
Fiction, Reality, and Coping Theme Icon
Control and Entrapment Theme Icon
...scuff marks from the doorframe, then locks himself back in. Paul thinks of how the African bird in the zoo must have eventually forgotten its true home. Despite his melancholy, he... (full context)
Fiction, Reality, and Coping Theme Icon
Control and Entrapment Theme Icon
...voice tells him he has given up, not momentarily, but forever. He denies this, saying “Africa” aloud. (full context)
Part 2, Chapters 18-20
Addiction, Compulsion, and Obsession Theme Icon
Fiction, Reality, and Coping Theme Icon
Control and Entrapment Theme Icon
...the best Misery novel yet. The second half of the story will be set in Africa, among a violent tribe called the Bourkas. The Bourkas, also called the Bee-People, worship a... (full context)
Part 3, Chapters 1-10
Fiction, Reality, and Coping Theme Icon
Suffering, Justice, and the Human Condition Theme Icon
Control and Entrapment Theme Icon
...a scene from Misery’s Return, in which Ian and Geoffrey watch bees flying into an African clearing. The text breaks off suddenly. In the present moment, Paul shakes the typewriter until... (full context)
Part 3, Chapters 11-22
Fiction, Reality, and Coping Theme Icon
Control and Entrapment Theme Icon
...preservation. A young officer (Duane Kushner) exits the cruiser. Paul is panicking, but finally screams: “Africa!” He throws a ceramic ashtray through the window, getting the officer’s full attention. The man... (full context)