The Coffee Stain

The coffee stain in Chapter 1 represents the stain that Funmi represents to Yejide, as well as the beginning of the end of the deception Akin has played on Yejide. While avoiding Funmi’s gaze, Yejide notices a coffee stain on her rug that matches Funmi’s dress and her own blouse. Funmi fits into the house the way the stain fits into the house. She matches Yejide, yet also matches the stain. This also foreshadows the mug symbol, when Akin mentions not liking white mugs because they show the coffee stains to clearly - a reference to being able to see Funmi (and his deception of Yejide) too clearly. Later in Chapter 8, as Akin and Yejide discuss Yejide’s false pregnancy he “traces the brown coffee stain with his thumb” (60). This again references his own deception of Yejide and the stain that Funmi has...