What exactly is an ideal lifestyle? The answer is different for each person because some people want more and some people want less. In the short story “Black Girl” by Sembene Ousmane, the reader learns of Diouana's determination to climb the ladder of the social hierarchy. The protagonist indulges in the thought of moving away from her hometown in Africa, where in recent years she has worked as a maid for a wealthy white family. His vision of the perfect lifestyle is to live in France, where he envisions earning millions and bathing in fortune. Unfortunately, things don't always appear as they seem. The story illustrates that when thinking about your ideal lifestyle you mostly rely on your personal experience which often results in deception. The author effectively conveys this theme through the use of setting, symbolism, and iconic foreshadowing. The setting of the story plays an important role because it takes place in two different countries, Senegal followed by France later in the story. The two countries are completely different, Africa being a continent plagued by poverty and France being described as a country of opportunity. After a few years of working for Monsieur and Madame, they decide to return to France for a while but ask Diouana if she wants to come with them. He accepts immediately because he has high expectations of France. She begins to despise her homeland and everything she grew up with becomes useless. “Everything around her had become ugly, the magnificent villas that she had admired so many times seemed squalid” (135). When he thinks of France, he sees himself earning millions, returning to his homeland, and spreading his wealth with his loved ones (136). You declare that if ... middle of paper ... cases solved in a stupid way. Most people don't care, the article about his suicide was found on the fourth page, sixth column of the newspaper, barely noticeable. The story clearly illustrates that when thinking about your ideal lifestyle you rely mostly on your personal experience which often results in deception. The theme is conveyed by literary devices such as setting, symbolism, and iconic foreshadowing. The abolition of slavery was a step forward but there are still many more to do. Measures that protect everyone from trafficking and exploitation of human beings. More importantly, racism is something that must be stopped, as well as providing equal opportunities to all without discrimination. Works Cited Ousmane, Sembene. “Black girl.” Worlds of fiction.Ed. Roberta Rubenstein and Charles R. Larson. 2nd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2002. 767-76.