The Threat of the Other Woman

Muna, from the very beginning of the novel, is described as a problem needing to be solved, rather than a person. Medie’s early portrayals of Muna evoke the motif of The Other Woman, to show her as a problem, an obstacle, and ultimately a threat to the sanctity of marriage. Medie reveals how the Ganyos purposefully portray Muna in this way to manipulate Afi.

The portraying of a mistress as a threat serves as a way to remove accountability from the man in the relationship to be faithful, by placing all the blame on the mistress for his lack of fidelity. The Ganyos purposefully make Muna into a threatening figure to suggest that she has trapped Eli in someway, through some sort of spiritual hold and through his love of his daughter. This removes Eli’s accountability for the relationship...