"A home without daughters is like a spring without a source"
In the beginning of the first chapter, this quote introduces what will be an ongoing exploration as to the value of daughters and women in society. Chief Odero Gogni of Yimbo is expecting to have another son, but to his surprise he ends up having his first daughter, Akoko. Traditionally, sons bring glory to the family and daughters are less valued given that they will eventually marry and leave their father’s house for that of their husband. This quote reveals Chief Odero’s eventual change in perception: he begins to value daughters and comes to believe that a home without daughters is unlikely to prosper. His words directly relate to the title of the book which will continue to explore the worth of women as they navigate and prove themselves in a patriarchal society.
Her therapy was simple for there is no greater psychologist than the one who graduates from the hard school of life.
After the death of her eldest son, Obura Kembo, Akoko’s daughter Nyabera shuts down completely. In an effort to bring her back, Akoko reveals her own resilience in the face of pain, a quality she will reveal repeatedly over the course of the novel. This is a characteristic she instills in her daughter, knowing that she will need to be strong to handle life’s sorrows and challenges. Here, Akoko’s ability to face hardship head-on and persevere through it is revealed as she guides her daughter through the pain of losing a brother.
How can you know where you are going if you do not know where you are coming from?
This quote speaks to the importance of tradition and knowing your past in order to continue forward. As Akoko journeys with her nephews to Kisumu to seek justice against her brother-in-law, she takes it upon herself to tell them the history of their people. Elders in the Luo tribe pass their history on through word of mouth. Although Akoko pushes for change in the treatment and value of women amongst her people, she remains deeply rooted in her history and ensures that younger generations in her family have a strong sense of where they come from.
"You may be twice my size, but I have three times your courage"
While traditionally in the Luo culture in which the novel is set women were expected to be submissive, Akoko, in the above quote, challenges her brother-in-law Otieno Kembo head-on. Now chief, Otieno abuses his position to steal Akoko’s wealth, and then is shocked and incensed that Akoko would get colonial authorities involved to defend herself. He physically threatens her, yet instead of backing down, Akoko shows how courageous women can be, refusing to be intimidated by him and instead showing greater dignity and strength of character further shedding light on his shortcomings as a chief.
“Bitterness is poison to the spirit for it breeds nothing but vipers some of which might consume your very self. Pain and sorrow all humans feel; but bitterness drops on the spirit like aloes—causing it to wither.”
At the beginning of Part 2, Nyabera is at a crossroads. Having suffered deeply with the loss of her husband and all but one child, she is searching for hope and decides to leave her home and pursue Christianity. In this passage, Akoko supports her decision, warning her daughter that if she gives herself over to bitterness she will be consumed by it. Akoko uses the metaphor of poison and vipers to emphasize the harm bitterness can cause, eating away at one’s spirit. Ever resilient, Akoko advises that Nyabera finds a new path that brings meaning to her life, which she eventually does, changing the course of the family’s future.
All the fears of her childhood were coming back. There was a vice-like band around her head and she thought she would faint. In her head one thought went round and round, beating its wings like a trapped bird. “My child - not you, not you!"
Although Nyabera (who now goes by Maria) has found a new path in Christianity, she is never fully able to escape the fear and trauma of losing so many loved ones. This causes her to pour all her hope and energy into her sole surviving child Elizabeth Awiti. At Awiti’s graduation, those same fears of losing a child come back, causing her to panic. The fear manifests physically with increasing pressure in her head, and emotionally with the repeating internal plea that nothing bad happens to her daughter. Like a bird trapped in a cage, Nyabera feels helpless to protect the people she loves.
Though she was very wise, one could hardly say that she had been born in the wrong era; that had she lived in a different era, she would have been a great intellectual, a pioneer and a leader of humanity. In truth, such clarity of vision and strength of person are a discomfiture to all men of all ages and she would therefore never have really fitted in that, this or any other century; for human beings prefer to be left alone to muddle along in confusion—it is more comfortable than to suffer the pain of self knowledge.
In this description of Akoko, Ogola reflects on the reality of a perceptive woman with a strong character. She argues that no matter what century Akoko had lived in, even if she had been born in an era with more modern views about women, her qualities would never have been fully embraced by all. Society feels threatened by individuals who see clearly, because people are not willing or ready to face hard truths about themselves or the society they live in.
The women’s halls of residence, ‘the Box’ as it was known, was the hunting ground for all and sundry, and big cars were very evident especially on Saturdays when well dressed, well-to-do men descended upon the place. It was the thing to have a girl friend on campus…there were two categories of girls—the fast-moving "Mercedes" types and the "clipboards.”
When Elizabeth went to school, girls would have been expelled for openly dating, but traditional ideas are loosening as is seen in the contrast of Vera’s university experience from that of her mother. Furthermore, having an education is now seen as a desirable quality in a woman, rather than making her unsuitable. However, the uneven power dynamics between men and women are still apparent, as revealed by older men with money coming to a university to pick up women. The women who choose to casually date men with money face judgment from their peers and are described as “fast-moving ‘Mercedes’ types.”
“He’d better be careful; I hear there is a disease called AIDS waiting to pounce on any careless person these days.”
“I have heard rumours also; but most say it is just Western propaganda. Anyway you doctors can do miracles these days. A mere VD cannot elude a cure for too long.”
The AIDS epidemic was in full swing in Kenya in the 1990s when Ogola wrote this book, however, Wandia’s sister's comment that many say AIDS is Western propaganda reveals the lack of awareness that existed at the time about this disease. In part due to the Kenyan government’s failure to publically address the disease as well as cultural reluctance to talk about sex, many people only had a vague understanding of AIDS and its severity. Her sister’s confidence about modern medicine’s ability to find a cure for “a mere venereal disease” is a far cry from what readers know to be true about the current state of the AIDS epidemic. While their conversation was about a different family member, it foreshadows Becky’s eventual contraction of HIV.
“You must realize that little irritations become more glaring, when there is that basic difference…I can’t imagine anything more annoying than their talking to their son, and your children, in a language you cannot understand. It makes you even more of an outsider than you are already.”
Wandia is telling her sister about her decision to marry Aoro, when her sister brings up doubts. Aoro and Wandia are from two different tribes: Aoro is Luo and Wandia is Kikuyu. Her sister worries that Wandia will feel like an outsider with his family because they come from different tribes and speak different languages. Her sister is not the only one to express hesitation; both Wandia’s mother and Aoro’s father do so as well. While in the city, people no longer live solely with members of their tribe, there still exist divisions and at times stereotypes that give pause when thinking of intermarriage. Aoro and Wandia’s successful marriage shows this does not have to be a dividing factor.
