“An opening as big as a grain of maize”
The opening referred to in this simile is the vagina. A vagina whose size is equivalent to the maize grain warrants four excruciating stitches to narrow it down considerably. Ordinarily, a maize-sized vagina, even though it is considered enormous for a girl in the Somalian culture, would not allow a girl to indulge in coitus. Constricting the vagina is a punitive attempt that traumatizes and disfigures the Somalian girls’ biology.
The Metaphor of a Cripple
Rahma’s walking, after the circumcision, is similar to that of a cripple. The comparison demonstrates the physical effects of female circumcision. Circumcisions cause a paralyzing wound that takes time to heal. The paralyzing pain spreads to the legs even though circumcision done on the genital organs. Accordingly, female circumcision contributes to short term and long term impairment of the body.
