Okoboshi Obidi
Okoboshi is the child that have a good limp who fights having Chike (Aku-nna’s future husband) more Aku-nna. After, Okoboshi’s family unit members kidnaps Aku-nna, an accepted community customized, so that you can make the girl Okoboshi’s wife. After kidnapping the girl, Okoboshi attempts to “devirgin” Aku-nna. Whenever Aku-nna basic observes him immediately following this lady has come kidnapped, she observes one to their look “had a form of crookedness regarding it; rather than gracing the fresh centre [sic] out of his face, the fresh new love.ru discount code laugh was drawn lopsidedly on one of is own ears. It actually was new laugh out-of an enthusiastic embittered young buck. He disliked this lady, anywhere near this much she often see.”
He or she is stronger than she’s, but she outsmarts your. She lashes away having verbal attacks so you’re able to his pride. It scene ranging from Okoboshi and you will Aku-nna try a pivotal point in the story. Simple fact is that first time you to Aku-nna takes a very good reputation inside safeguarding herself, using all things in their capability to allege living she wants, instead of the lifestyle you to definitely this lady community keeps attempted to push on her. Okoboshi, within this esteem, is short for precisely what Aku-nna finds out repugnant from the their generally men-controlled people.
Aku-nna Odia
Aku-nna, the brand new protagonist contained in this unique, are thirteen yrs old and you can residing in the brand new Nigerian city Lagos when the story opens up. This woman is an intelligent girl who knows, without having to be informed directly, that she’s “as well insignificant” about sight regarding her moms and dads. This woman is, whatsoever, only a female. The woman is also thin as well as times most subject to problem. Their moms and dads refer to this lady due to the fact a keen “ogbanje”-an income dry. Their mom have a tendency to chides the lady by asking Aku-nna and also make up their brain in the event that she is going to live otherwise pass away. They commonly seems that the thing the lady mothers look forward to help you, according to help you Aku-nna, is the fiance price, the cost this lady future husband covers the lady.
Aku-nna, right from the beginning of the storyline, has many questions relating to their household members, her culture, along with her part from inside the people. She considers these types of questions, however, she never sounds her or him as the in her society it’s considered bad than crappy manners to inquire about her or him, specifically coming from a female. However it is these inquiries that push Aku-nna throughout which tale. She actually is into a search for responses.
Because if lifetime when you look at the Lagos, that was however some influenced by old-fashioned Ibo people, isn’t troublesome enough, upon the woman father’s dying Aku-nna are compelled to face actually more strict interpretations of those life when she’s pulled back once again to brand new family’s ancestral town, Ibuza. Here Aku-nna is commonly criticized on account of the girl modesty. She will not such as for example soaking up new naked in public areas. She is plus criticized just like the she is allowed to keep the girl schooling. But it’s the woman friendship having Chike, an effective descendent of a servant, that’s the lady latest undoing.
It’s that have Chike one Aku-nna seems one particular comfortable for the asking those issues having troubled their. She refers to having Chike’s role, that’s each other the main Ibo culture however unusually taken from it at the same time. Chike was the woman teacher much more ways than at missionary college you to Aku-nna attends, and you will she falls crazy about your. But to state that the woman connection with Chike was this lady last undoing tends to be too easy. There are other state-of-the-art items inside.
By the point Aku-nna converts fifteen, she’s grown familiar with anything on Ibuza town. She discovers concerning Western european suggests at school and you may goes house and you will face the newest “unchanging way of life regarding [her] individual some body.” Yet the woman is never ever able to make by herself feel at ease into the either community. One another Aku-nna along with her sibling are just like “helpless fishes trapped from inside the a net: they could maybe not … come back to your sea, getting they certainly were caught up … but really these were nonetheless alive as the fisherman was busy debating contained in this themselves whether or not it are well worth destroying him or her.” Ultimately, it’s Aku-nna’s failure in order to free herself in the twisted websites away from her society one to, about on the good a symbol level, explanations this lady demise.
