Plums

The bags of plums that Marija repeatedly gives to Sissie are symbols of Marija’s sexual interest in Sissie. They are also symbols of the world order that Our Sister Killjoy represents. Just as Ghana and other Third World countries are accustomed to receiving aid and charity from the First World in exchange for certain changes to their economic and political structures, here Sissie is receiving plums in exchange for her friendship.

Cold Food

The cold food that Sissie observes that Germans eat are symbols of the sterility and frigidity of the culture as Sissie perceives it compared with her own, warmer and more vibrant culture in Ghana, where she and her family always eat hot food.

The Name “Mary”

The name Mary, which Sissie explains is her given Christian name, is a symbol of Ghana’s colonial past in which, subjected to England’s civilizing...