Fa’s development initiates when she begins to have conditional ideas. Just as Lok discovers ‘like’ towards the end of the book, Fa discovers ‘if’’ in the opening chapters. On discovering a patch of asparagus, Lok suggests they take the group here after eating some themselves. However Fa knows that ‘Mall will not come and she will not leave him’ and comes to the logical conclusion that it would be more beneficial to carry the asparagus to the people. ‘If the patch were nearer’ she suggests, realising that the tribe would benefit from a patch of asparagus growing nearer the Fall. Lok however does not share this ‘picture’ and claims ‘no plant like this grows near the fall!’ showing how he does not have the mental capacity to look into the future and can only relate things to the present. Exasperated, Fa gestures, ‘her hands wide apart’, ‘eyebrows moved slightly up’, but she cannot explain herself to Lok. ‘She had no words with which to define it’ shows that this is only a conditional thought, and she does not have the ability yet to express it or put it into action. Similarly to the asparagus scene, Fa develops thoughts that she could bring water to Mal by using shells. However she still is not able to connect these thoughts, and as she ‘put her hands up to her face’, her idea is diminished.
As Fa and Lok venture to the ice woman, a further stage of development can be seen in Fa’s persona. ‘It is too much Oa for man’ she warns Lok, showing that she is mentally forming a clear distinction between men and women. There is an immediate change in her mood after visiting the ice woman; she has gone from trying to use an innocent explanation as to why Ha has disappeared to claiming that he must have been pushed over the cliff ‘no man falls in water’. The importance of this is that it is a pivotal point for Fa, she has recognised evil and now knows that her people are in trouble. ‘They killed Nill and threw her in the water. And the old woman.’ Fa has realised the awful truth that their community are being eliminated all around them.
The change in Fa becomes increasingly apparent as she and Lok manage to reverse roles of authority. An arrow has been fired at him by the New People, and whilst he sees this merely as a ‘gift’, Fa recognises that it is a weapon, and that the New People intended to hurt him. ‘Give the twig back!’ she cries with this realisation, but Lok is still bewildered. ‘Throw it now!’ she pleads, desperate for him to realise too. However he still sees it as harmless, showing that however innocent Lok may be he is far more naive than Fa. Fa grows increasingly impatient with him, desperate for him to see what she sees, so much so that her exasperation becomes physical ‘she took him by both shoulders and shook him’. ‘The new people have many pictures’ she claims, showing her vague insight into the New People’s mindset and marking her ability to understand their different ways of life. However Fa claims ‘I have many pictures too’ highlighting her desperation to take control of the situation, as she knows Lok is not capable. Her anger at him is becoming more and more ‘fierce’, and the conversation comes to a climax as she cries ‘Lok has no pictures in his head’. At once there is a great change of mood; it is now very ‘solemn’ and as ‘Lok felt himself diminish’, he too has realised Fa’s superiority. Her strong, basic use of language when she tells Lok ‘Do what I say…I have many pictures’ slows down the pace of speech so that she ensures Lok understands that she has reversed their roles of leadership. Lok now does as he is told, and as he obeys her and throws the twig back, it becomes a symbol of his acceptance of Fa’s leadership.
As they encounter more examples of the New People’s behaviour, Fa begins to understand the danger of them. ‘They are frightened of the air’, and ‘they are not from Oa’s belly’ she claims, trying to compare their values to Lok, who still cannot comprehend the differences of evil and innocence. ‘Fa looked deeply at him and there were things in her face he could not understand’, marks that Fa knows what has happened to Liku, and is experiencing this grief alone. Desperate to protect Lok from the awful truth, she warns him that he will ‘be killed’ if he tries to save Liku, and that it would be more beneficial to them to concentrate on saving the new one. She begins to learn mannerisms from the New People, and considers bribery ‘we will take Tanakil. They will give back the new one’. Fa’s once innocent mind has become corrupted; she is beginning to mimic the homosapiens ways of life.
The final stage of Fa’s development is in actual fact the deterioration of her character, as she succumbs to the habits of the homosapiens, and in doing so, discovers ‘sin’. This reflects on the biblical story of the garden of eden, where Adam and Eve give in to temptation and eat the forbidden fruit. In chapter eleven, Lok and Fa approach the abandoned camp of the homosapiens, and in doing so discover a pot of alcohol. The paradox of the ‘stinging, sweet stuff’, which she drinks, highlights the differences of it being something she enjoys as well as being something she associates with evil. This marks the selfish change that overcomes Fa, as she and Lok begin to act as the drunken ones they previously feared. This can be seen when the vivid description of ‘like a moth with a burnt wing’ echoes back to the haunting image of a homosapien, as it shows Fa replicating their foul ways. ‘They are like Oa’’ she utters, contradictory to her once claiming that they ‘did not come from Oa’s belly’. Fa now associates the new people with her; they control life, and most importantly, they control fear.
The contrast between Fa’s development and that of the Neanderthals is represented by the differences shown between Lok and she. There are many similarities between these two characters; they have the same love and respect for nature, share a strong communal bond and above all, trust in the way which they communicate ‘she did not need to speak’. What makes Fa different however is her ability to comprehend, and with her new found leadership and her desire to protect Lok, she makes decisions in the best way she feels possible; she relies on instinct. Her development also contrasts greatly to the values of the ‘new people’. Their world is full of materialistic values and sin, something which Fa only experiences in the final chapter of her life. Throughout, her innocent, loving nature is displayed in her good intentions and her bold decision to guard Lok from what has happened to Liku. The novel sees her character progress from a typical member of the Neanderthal community to the one with all the power. It is this power which becomes her greatest asset, as well as evoking her downfall, as she is influenced by the homosapiens. The initial changes seen are ones where her best intention is to protect her community, but by the end of the novel, Fa struggles with her motivation and succumbs to the ways of the new people, which suggests that such innocent values are not welcome in this new world where there is no trust.
To conclude, the character of Fa develops significantly throughout the novel, and this enables us to gain an understanding of the Neanderthal community in comparison to that of the ‘New People’s. Fa develops from a character that cannot establish conclusions to the one who is relied upon to make them. Though it can be argued that Fa represents the innocence of the Neanderthals, the fact that she is forced to change and is eventually corrupted highlights that their values of trust and respect cannot withstand a world of fear and evil. Her development is significant because it shows how her character contrasts so greatly to the homosapien’s prejudices, and this encourages the reader to rethink their own values, as it is the homosapiens that we as humans can relate to the most, and this is the novel’s deeper significance.
