WAEC Literature in English 2021 Theory — Question 1

Model answer

Points to develop: relation to theme; character identification; instances of ill-treatment. As the title suggests, women are treated as a second element in the novel — occupying lower and marginal status. The novel deals with gender discrimination in a chauvinist Nigerian society; culturally and traditionally, women are relegated to the background as objects, resulting in some males treating them negatively. Reference is made to Adah, the female protagonist, who works as a librarian assistant and is a breadwinner willy-nilly, in spite of being abused by her husband Francis. Adah's mother is also treated poorly and blamed for Adah's unsealed enrolment. Western education is reserved mainly for males; only through Adah's staunch determination does she push through the odds surrounding her.