The story, Leaving

is set in Tanzania.

A woman raises
her five children
alone after the
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early death of her

husband.
After the two elder
girls get married and
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the eldest son

acquires a job,the
mother focuses on the
two younger ones,Aloo
and the youngest
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daughter(the
narrator).

Aloo is in his final

year in school and
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the girl is in
university.
She pins all her
hopes on them
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that they will have

a better education.
She winds up their
store and moves
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them to a quieter
part of
town,Upanga.
The place is
quieter and
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provides a better
environment for
them to study.
The return of Mr
Datoo,a former
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teacher inspires
Aloo to think of
furthering his
education
overseas in
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medicine in
America.
He starts writing to
American
universities to get
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the necessary
information.
He is not keen on
studying
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agriculture in a
local university.
He is offered a
place with a
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scholarship in the
California Institute
of Technology.
However,his
mother would not
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allow him to
accept the
offer,citing
finances and fear
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of losing him as
the reasons.
Finally,on the advice
of a school
officer,the mother
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relents and accepts

the idea of allowing
Aloo to leave home
for a different sky.
The narrator,for the
first time,sees her
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mother as a person
and not just as her
mother-someone who
has always thought
only of the children's
welfare.
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Aloo's first letter

was a graphic
enthusiastic
account of London
but to the
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mother,she is
uncertain of his
return.

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