If you are referring to the syllabus, the introductory chapters of your selected prose texts—such as The Farming of Bones —often center on the tension between personal memory and harsh political reality.

The tenderness between Amabelle and her lover, Sebastien , a sugarcane worker, acts as a temporary shield against her internal "nightmares," highlighting the sanctuary found in human connection amidst systemic hardship.

Look for recurring symbols like shadows , water , and skin color , which are all introduced in these first few pages to build the novel's atmosphere.

CAPE Unit 1 Literatures in English June 2013 P2 | PDF - Scribd

Are you focusing on a from the CAPE list, like The Farming of Bones , or

In The Farming of Bones (a common CAPE text set in the 1930s Dominican Republic), Chapters 1 and 2 introduce these key themes:

Chapter 2 shifts to Amabelle’s role as a servant to Señora Valencia , who is in labor. The birth of twins—a boy and a girl—immediately introduces the racial tensions of the setting; the daughter's darker skin tone causes immediate anxiety for the mother, foreshadowing the societal obsession with "purity". Study Tips for Chapters 1-2

Chapter 1 opens with Amabelle Désir suffering from recurring nightmares about her parents' drowning, a haunting introduction to the theme of loss that permeates the novel.