Is there a deeper meaning to why Fomba can't speak anymore? Refer to the quote "You done cross the river, and your head is on fire. But grown man done cross the river and shut his mouth forever," on pg. 149.
The deeper meaning to this is that Fomba knows his fate. He had been a slave of his village, so he understands what it means to not have any freedom. But now that he is a slave of the the toubabu's, he understands that the chances of him ever being free are very slim. When they were in Bayo they had heard rumors that people had been coming and kidnapping civilians. Aminata had always interpreted this as being a rumor or scary story meant to scare the children. But Fomba had known the harsh truth that those rumors could soon be a reality. Aminata went into the situation with no prior knowledge, she did not know what to expect or what would become of her. She still maintained a sense of hope. She still has a sense of innocence, and she continues to be curious. The curiosity is what is meant by her head being on fire. She is still trying to figure out what to make of the situation since she does not fully understand her situation.
Olivia, you have mentioned a lot of important facts related to this quote, but I think that the meaning of this quote is deeper, and more significant. To my mind, what Hill tried to say by this quote is that a small, defenseless, and inexperienced girl had survived a horrifying trip to America, where she was faced with the level of violence and conditions people sometimes can’t even imagine, while a hardy, strong and brave man, who was faced with the slavery even before this events just broke under the pressure of this situation. This fact shows how strong and lucky Aminata is being a child, how she is able to resist the terrible conditions and keep moving forward, while thousands of people are just helplessly dying
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