Women as victims

In this country, it is acceptable for men to marry several wives, and this has a profound effect on the relationship between men and women. Chief Nanga’s wife is loyal and supportive, but she is unable to stop her husband from planning to marry a younger, better educated second wife as a showpiece. The narrator, Odili, describes how his father marries far too many wives and has more children than he can support. The first wife in this household, called “Mama,” is looked up to by all the others, and each wife is expected to be kind to the children of the other wives.

Men seem to set the rules. Edna’s father arranges for her to be married to Chief Nanga, and she is afraid to defy him. Odili’s father lays down the law to his wives about how they should treat the children in the family. Odili disregards Edna’s pleas for him to leave her house (because she is afraid of a confrontation between Odili and her father) and he tries to put his arm around her even though she is engaged to another man.