Summary
"Tomorrow Is Too Far"
The narrator reminisces about the last summer she spent in Nigeria. Even though it was eighteen years ago, she vividly remembers how her older brother, Nonso, was given preferential treatment by her grandmother. Although the narrator was a better climber, her grandmother encouraged her brother to climb the fruit trees in order to prove his masculinity. The narrator feels sidestepped by her grandmother, and she bonds with her cousin Dozie over their shared feelings of unwantedness. The narrator explains that Nonso is also her parent’s favorite, thus fueling her feelings of jealousy and resentment.
The narrator reveals that during the last summer she spent in Nigeria, Nonso passed away. He died after falling from the top of a fruit tree. The narrator’s mother, an African-American woman, puts aside her own feelings of hatred for the narrator’s grandmother as they mourn together. Months after her brother’s death, the narrator tells her mother that her grandmama was the person who prompted Nonso to climb so high in order to prove his masculinity. The mother grows incredibly angry, and she bans her daughter from ever visiting Nigeria again.
The narrator admits that it was not her grandmother who baited Nonso to climb the tree. Instead, she challenged Nonso so that she could have a more prominent role in her family. When Nonso got to the top of the tree, the narrator warned him that there was a snake nearby. He slipped and fell, dying instantly. The narrator keeps this secret between herself and Dozie, who was also present during Nonso’s death.
In the eighteen years following the incident, the narrator realizes that her life has not changed. Dozie, who she once had a crush on, is unable to love her. Similarly, her mother and grandmother fail to pay any special attention to her. Her parents have divorced, and her grandmother has passed away. The narrator is forced to reconcile with the fact that Nonso's death has not absolved her insecurities.
"The Headstrong Historian"
Many years after her husband Obierika’s death, Nwamgba continues to reminisce about the memories they shared together. Although their arranged marriage was off to a rocky start, the two were deeply in love. After the couple made an animal sacrifice, they were finally blessed with a baby boy that they named Anikwenwa. Later, Obierika was killed by his two cousins. The two cousins return again years later, stealing Nwamgba’s land and threatening Anikwenwa’s well-being. Afraid of the cousins and the impending colonization of native villages, Nwamgba sends Anikwenwa to a Catholic mission.
Nwamgba discovers that the missionary beats her students, which aggravates her. She brings Anikwenwa back and attempts to preserve their native practices at home, but Anikwenwa begins to judge and berate his mother. He refuses to eat the food that she cooks, and he has clearly internalized Western practices. Later, Anikwenwa gets married in a Christian ceremony. Nwamgba makes sacrifices so that her son and daughter-in-law will have a child. Nwamgba believes that her future grandchild will carry the spirit of Obierika.
Nwamgba’s grandson does not have Obierika’s spirit, but her granddaughter named "Grace'' does. Grace is very interested in Nwamgba’s poetry and her grandmother’s traditional Nigerian practices. Grace’s father, Anikwenwa, attempts to repress her interests. He sends her away to boarding school, hoping that she will receive a Western education. Nwamgba knows that she will die soon, and she requests that Grace come visit her. Even though Anikwenwa refuses, Grace visits anyway. At her boarding school, Grace reads books about the colonization of African tribes. She does not realize that she is of African descent until she reads her grandmother’s poetry. She protests against Anikwenwa for attempting to erase this part of her history. The story gives a glimpse into the future, where Grace is a celebrated scholar studying the history of the Nigerian people.
Analysis
In “Tomorrow Is Too Far,” the narrator describes the frustrations of being a young woman. She grows envious of her brother, Nonso, when she notices that he is treated differently than her on the basis of gender. Although gender discrimination appears in various iterations throughout the collection, it is presented differently in “Tomorrow Is Too Far.” This story demonstrates that sexism has permeated the family structure. The narrator is not given equal attention by her grandmother or her parents, and she grows defiant.
The short story’s central imagery of the snake in the tree is a Biblical allusion. In the creation story, a snake baits Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. In the Bible, the eating of the apple signifies the introduction of sin into the world. In “Tomorrow Is Too Far,” the common motifs of temptation and sin are present. The narrator baits Nonso to fall from the tree in the hopes of usurping control in her family. Although she only intended for Nonso to get hurt, his accidental death signifies the irreversibility of the narrator’s actions. This irreversibility also reflects the bible's story.
The motif of deceit also reappears in “Tomorrow Is Too Far.” The narrator’s inability to admit the truth about Nonso’s death indicates her own unresolved feelings. In placing the blame on her grandmother, the narrator hopes to exact revenge and receive attention from her family. However, in the aftermath of Nonso’s death, the narrator’s life has not improved. She has lost touch with her Nigerian identity, thus demonstrating how her actions have backfired.
In “The Headstrong Historian,” the audience learns about Nigeria during a different time period. The protagonist, Nwamgba, was alive during the country’s colonization by the British in the 19th century. Due to the story’s historical context, the reader is able to learn about both the immediate and residual effects of colonization. In addition, the reader is able to understand how communities were dominated, both through violence and through ideological influence. In short, Nwamgba’s story is a parable for the more invisible, damaging effects of colonization on African society.
Similar to “Ghosts,” the central conflict in “The Headstrong Historian” revolves around abandoning traditional, folkloric practices in favor of Western ideals. When Anikwenwa grows into adulthood, he forbids his children from learning about their grandmother’s life. Due to Anikwenwa’s own Christian education, he has learned that folkloric traditions are nonsensical and bogus. However, Grace, Nwamgba’s granddaughter, seeks to reverse the trend that her father started. She is inspired by Nwamgba, and she aims to educate herself about Nigeria’s history of colonization. In this way, the collection of stories ends on a positive note. Adichie asserts that later generations can promise a future that honors their ancestor’s past.
