Sexism

Through this theme, the author examines the challenges girls and women faced in Nigeria in the 1960s if they wished to pursue goals beyond marriage and having children. It is noted at the beginning of the novel that Adah's birth was “a disappointment” (7) for her parents because she was a girl, and Adah herself carries this notion with her into adulthood. After her son Vicky is born, she tells people that her other child is “only a girl” (62). From the time she is eight years old, Adah wishes to attend school, but this is difficult because most families provide only minimal education for their daughters. Adah's family is relatively supportive, but she still has to resort to subterfuge to pursue her goals, first sneaking off to school without her parents' permission and later stealing money from her cousin to pay entrance exam fees. By age 11, Adah's...