Resumo de King Solomon's Mines

RiderHaggard?s King Solomon?s Mines KingSolomon traded with the Queen of Sheba andwith ?Ophir?, probably in East Africa or West India, since Scriptures mentions him bringing backapes, ivory and peacocks. Rider Haggardwas preparing for civil service exams when his lawyer father got him a post onthe staff of Britain?scolonial governor in Natal, South Africa. He learned much about Zulus, Boers, andcombined this with boyhood memories to brilliantly succeed in this, his thirdnovel, written at 29 years of age. Hehad read Robert Louis Stevenson?s Treasure Island and hadcommented on his poor opinion when a friend bet him he could write a betterone. The result was King Solomon?sMines. In my opinion, Haggard wonthe bet?he does beat Stevenson. Haggard writes through the mind of asenior explorer who claims simplicity but writes well: ?on we went, till at last the east began toblush like the cheek of a girl. Thenthere came faint rays of primrose light, that changed presently to golden bars,through which the dawn glided out across the desert. The stars grew pale and paler still till atlast they vanished; the golden moon waxed wan, and her mountain ridges stoodout clear against her sickly face like the bones on the face of a dying man;then came spear upon spear of glorious light flashing far away across theboundless wilderness, piercing the firing the veils of mist, till the desertwas draped in a tremulous golden glow, and it was day? (p76). The book carries its colonialsensibilities, or lack thereof, as in:1. presumption that the Great Zimbabwe, and other evidences ofcivilization in Africa, had to be made by Phoenicians, Jews, Arabs, or whitemen, as if blacks could not develop a civilization; 2. misogyny of ?women bring trouble as surelyas the night follows the day? (p178); 3.repeated statements against interracial marriage, an attitude now provenmistaken. Still, the book is a rippinggood yarn. A prince has risen up against hisfather, killed him and tried to kill his mother and baby brother, but sheescapes with the child, eventually across the desert, like Hagar. The child, when grown to manhood, joins agroup of three Europeans searching for a man lost in exploration. They eventually reach an enclosed societyliving in African highlands which contained the mines of King Solomon. They help, through a battle resembling the Battle ofCowpens in the American Revolution, the rightful king to take his place, andthey see the mines, with the images of Ashtoreth, Chemosh and Milcom, the godsSolomon began to worship. The text alsosays ?Ashtoreth of the Hebrews was the Astarte of the Pheonicians?afterwardswas the Aphrodite of the Greeks? (p259)?this last I didn?t know before. They are betrayed and trapped in the mines,wrapped in darkness and decide to consume their few provisions, ?eat and drink,for tomorrow we die? (p284). Furtherthan that I won?t tell you?read the book yourself. Although it?s a boys? adventurestory, Haggard inserts some deeper passages, as on life?s transience: ?Only the old moon would shine serenely on,the night wind would stir the grasses, and the wide earth would take its happyrest, even as it did eons before there were, and will do eons after they havebeen forgotten? (p197). He alsocomments on the relative lack of value of wealth?people will give all they havein order to extend life. Finally, the new king speaks againstthe missionaries? role in colonial times:?I will have no praying-men to put fear of death into men?s hearts, tostir them up against the king, and make a path for the white men who follow torun on? (p306). Karl Marx said religionwas being used to drug the people into political submission. To this day, some people, whether American,European, Asian or African, contemptuous or ignorant of history try to usematters of faith to secure mastery and obedience. And the people, not knowing what came before,repeat the error.

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