Essay Questions

What is the primary focus of the novel ‘White Witching’ by Oyeyemi?

Oyeyemi focuses on the disturbing experience Miranda goes through in her life due to the eating disorder. Unfortunately, Miranda refuses to eat typical food and eats indigestible things such as plastics, dirty objects, and chalks. Miranda's father is a disturbed man because no matter how hard he tries to cook Miranda's best food, she refuses to eat and prefers eating dirty things. The condition Miranda is suffering from is called pica. Therefore, Miranda's situation continues to get worse every day, and her health is failing. Miranda's body is becoming very thin, and the bones are showing.

How do supernatural elements appear in the novel?

Miranda is depicted as a girl deeply connected to her ancestors and heritage. In Miranda's house, there are strange ghosts that keep on appearing every time. Whenever Miranda tries to look at herself in a mirror, she does not see herself but her mother and grandmother's images. The reader understands that Miranda's mother and grandmother are long dead, but they continue appearing in Miranda's supernatural elements. Consequently, the appearance of the ghosts in Miranda's life symbolizes blood relations.

What is the significance of the watch that Miranda is wearing?

The reader notes that Miranda is always wearing her late mother's watch without even adjusting time. The clock is an emblem of mother's love that Miranda is missing. However, the watch has a deeper meaning than just being a symbol of the mother's love. Miranda's unwillingness to adjust the time on the clock she is wearing signifies her inability to escape her current situation. Miranda resembles her mother and grandmother in several attributes except for her eating disorder.