The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind

“Before I discovered the miracles of science, magic ruled the world.” 

When William writes this, he establishes one of the main themes of the book—that of magic versus science. Magic was the foundation of knowledge for the people in his village, whether they believed in God or wizards. When he brings science into their lives, it’s not with the help of spells or prayers. In this one sentence, William provides readers with insight into the impact the transition from magic to science had on his character and his village.

“Children everywhere have similar ways of entertaining themselves. If you look at it this way, the world isn’t so big.”

William writes this to connect his childhood with the childhood of readers around the world. This quote helps to undermine the idea of Otherness so often attached to African societies, which is a failure to empathize with someone because they come from another culture. The specificity of it—the way children entertain themselves—prevents this quote from overlooking diversity. He’s not saying that all children and people are the same in all ways, but rather he’s connecting one thread of the human experience. The same imagination that can conceive of wizards and creating a windmill is a gift that children possess around the world. What follows are examples of how William and his friends act out movies, which is a common expression of that imagination. 

“’When planning misfortune for your friends,’ he said, ‘be careful because it will come back and haunt you. You must always wish others well.’” 

When Trywell says this to William, it’s one example of how he guided his son. More than that, it touches on the importance of friendship. For William, his friends are as much a part of his success in building the windmill as his own determination is. Without them, he wouldn’t have succeeded. 

“It was a dark period all around, a time that saw several of my father’s closest friends die or go to prison, while others simply vanished.” 

This quote shows the political situation of his father’s youth, when Malawi was subject to Banda’s tyrannical rule. By calling the past a dark time, William once again draws on the idea of progress. By writing that it was a dark period, he implies that his present, when he’s writing the book, is a period of light. This has both literal and figurative significance. Not only does his windmill bring electricity and light to the village, but his use of science brings the village out of figurative darkness, out of fear of magic. 

“My bedroom became my fortress against the squabbling girls, a hideaway where I could be alone with my thoughts.” 

William considers his bedroom his sanctuary. It’s also the first place that receives electric lighting from his windmill. This quote is also an example of the fact that he feels he doesn’t belong or fit in with others. He later feels separate from his sisters when he must work in the fields on the family farm while they tend to the house.

“Bullies stalked and tortured me in the schoolyard. It was a time of crippling humiliation.” 

Having described Trywell’s physical strength to the reader, William’s schoolyard situation is embarrassing to him. His torture by the bullies isn’t purely physical—though they are violent—but rather stems from knowing that, unlike his father, he’s unable to defend himself. He feels powerless, and that is the source of his humiliation. 

“My first and only experience with magic left me with a sore eye and hands that throbbed from bad medicine.”

After trying to use mangolomera to give him super strength, William is left sore and disappointed. It is significant that his eye is sore—eyes symbolize vision, wisdom. He turned to magic out of superstition and was cheated. His throbbing hands represent his vulnerability. He is vulnerable to bullies and to those who would seek to cheat him. His experience with the mangolomera serves as a lesson and what he lacks in physical strength he gains in wisdom.

“Once the grave was finally filled and covered with grass, I joined the mourners back up the hill. It was the loneliest feeling I’d ever felt.” 

William expresses his grief at the loss of his uncle, John. That loneliness stems from his inability to mourn in the same way the rest of his family do. Once again, he feels separated from the rest of his family. It is William, not his family that later builds the windmill. This is just one example of how he sees the world differently from others around him.

“In Malawi and most parts of Africa that don’t have electricity for television, the radio is our only connection to the world outside the village.” 

This quote shows the significance of the radio, which is not only important to William personally, but also to the village as a whole. The radio also represents the height of technological advancement in William’s village, and stands as a basis of comparison. Additionally, at this point in the story, the village can only receive information. After developing his windmill, William learns how to transmit radio waves, which offers him, and his fellow villagers, the potential to communicate with the wider world.

“When we heard [Wimbe] had been beaten, it was as if we’d all been violated, our safety no longer guaranteed.” 

William and the rest of the villagers feel let down by the government and by President Muluzi in particular. At first, the president had seemed willing to work with and talk with the people but the beating that Chief Wimbe received proves that he is not. William feels abandoned by the government. The people are not safe in a number of ways: they don’t have enough food, illness runs rampant, and disagreement with the government can lead to dangerous consequences.

“’Given our situation,’ he said, ‘I’ve decided it’s better if we go down to one meal per day. It’s the only way we’ll make it.’” 

Trywell makes this announcement because the famine has become so serious that their family can’t afford to even eat two meals a day anymore. Despite the fact that the rain has started, and the Kamkwamba family was able to plant some crops, hope on the horizon doesn’t fill their bellies in the present. Their suffering cannot end yet, and in fact, it is about to get worse. For William, this starvation also affects his education. If they can’t afford to eat, they can’t afford to send him to school.

“We were all upset about Annie, but what we didn’t admit was that her absence now meant a little more food. With her gone, each person got an extra mouthful at supper.” 

Despite being upset when his daughter Annie elopes, Trywell is relieved that the family that remains with him will have a little more food. This relief causes him to feel guilty, which makes him withdraw into himself a bit. William writes this of his father, realizing that Trywell couldn’t talk about this guilt. He was able to empathize with him though, because he was feeling the same. 

“As food ran out across Malawi, the government remained silent. Every day we’d listen to the radio for news about the hunger, but nothing was ever said.” 

The government’s denial of what was happening to the citizens of Malawi, its refusal to acknowledge the famine was killing so many of its people, demonstrates the government’s corruption. President Muluzi thinks that by ignoring the problem, he can make it go away. Like Chief Wimbe, and Trywell’s friends, if you can make the problem disappear, it won’t be a problem anymore. Of course, that does nothing to fill people’s stomachs, and the way the government abandons its people only adds to their despair. 

“We ran our fingers over our country, and I marveled at how small a place it was compared to the rest of the earth.” 

The first time William sees Malawi on a map, he is mesmerized. In other areas of the book, he talks about his place in the world, as this memoir is in part his attempt to find where he fits in. 

“Despite his weakness, he struggled to his feet. His legs trembled from arthritis, but his tail swung like mad. He was ready.” 

This quote refers to Khamba. William has just invited the dog to hunt for the first time in over a year. Though Khamba is older now, and in pain, he is eager for the hunt, demonstrating the same determination that also drives William to accomplish his goals. No matter how many setbacks William experiences, he pushes forward until he builds his windmill, just like Khamba pushes through his physical pain in order to go hunting. 

“I felt nauseous all day. That night I tried to force Khamba out of my mind, thinking of anything but him. It wasn’t difficult. I was so hungry that I couldn’t concentrate on one thing too long anyway.” 

This quote tells the reader several things. After Socrates asks him about Khamba’s whereabouts and William lies—because he knows he tied him to a tree to die—he feels guilt. But that guilt doesn’t eat away at him because his physical hunger is doing that instead. 

“Over the next week, I struggled with the text but managed to figure out every few words and was able to grasp the context.” 

While reading Explaining Physics, a book William picked up at the library, he encounters yet another hurdle in his journey toward educating himself. The book is far more complicated than other texts he’s read. Yet, he manages to use what words he does know in order to grasp the general idea.

“I could picture the windmill I wanted to build, but before I attempted something that big, I wanted to experiment with a small model first.”

The moment William decides to build a windmill is a watershed one, but here, when he talks about needing to construct a smaller model first, he demonstrates his foresight. He wants to understand the science properly before taking on a project like a large windmill. He is determined, but patient—two traits that work together and pay off for him later.

“Finally, after two weeks, the teachers caught on to me. That morning, Mister Tembo read aloud the names of debtors in class, and that’s when I was caught. The second my name was called, I stood up and walked to the door.” 

After sneaking into classes for two weeks, William is finally named as one of those students who haven’t paid the fees. He’s mortified and driven to tears by the idea that he can’t keep attending school. 

“I held the bulb before me, waiting for my miracle. It flickered once. Just a flash at first, then a surge of bright, magnificent light. My heart nearly burst.” 

This is the moment when William’s windmill works for the first time, generating enough power to light a bulb. With the villagers watching, the miracle isn’t just that it works, but that they no longer think him crazy for building the windmill in the first place. 

“Any new invention is going to have its share of problems…” 

William’s windmill, though functional, has some issues that he needs to fix after he uses it for the first time. Here, he’s showing that he’s determined to make it work.

“That January, I watched as all my friends returned to class, telling jokes and laughing on the road to Kachokolo.” 

Not only is William prevented from continuing his education, but his inability to pay school fees also prevents him from fitting in among his friends. Though they honor his request not to ask when they will see him at school, he still feels the pain of separation from an institution of learning.

“As the plane taxied toward the runway, I gripped the seat, smiling big. I was certain everyone knew it was my first time. The people seated around me were so well-dressed and confident. They had important things to do, and their busy lives required them to travel in airplanes across the world…I guess I was now one of them, too.” 

Despite being nervous, William has finally found the courage to belong during his first airplane trip on his way to the TED convention. He sees himself as someone important.