Themes and message

Expectations vs reality 

In this excerpt of “The River Underground” by Richard Tromans, the theme of expectation vs reality is explored through the development of the main character, Husman. He starts off as a naïve Gambian man, who believes that England and London are full of riches and places where people can make easy money. With this image in mind, Husman decides to go to England illegally so that he can raise enough money to build a compound at home and become “a big player in Baku” (p. 3, l. 4). 

Getting to London changes Husman. While he took pride in being a teacher and speaking English in Gambia, in England he needs to accept a humble job as a cleaner, where he is generally ignored. This experience changes his perspective on making easy money, as he realizes that hard work is needed to achi...