The Setting Sun and the Rolling World

The protagonist of the title story, Nhamo is a young educated man who is poised to leave behind his rural ancestral home. His character is significant in that he exists at a pivotal moment between the rural boyhood depicted in the first half of the collection and the bitter urban adulthood depicted in the second half. He is full of arrogance, as he rejects both the old and new religions in favor of modernity and the wealth it promises. Nhamo is also a foil to his father Old Musoni, who begs the young man to stay.

Nhamo likens himself to the sun, flying across the sky and powered by inexhaustible stores of energy. However, this is an ominous metaphor, given that in a previous story the violent rapist Magufu is also likened to the sun, full of promise as it rises but infused with hot anger as time goes on. So while the reader never learns if Nhamo capitalizes on professional opportunities in the city and reaches personal fulfillment, the other stories suggest that the young man is headed for resentment, alcoholism, and depression.