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
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!
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.