Binti

by

Nnedi Okorafor

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Heru Character Analysis

Heru is a fellow future student at Oomza University. Binti has a secret crush on him, and they finally begin to speak to each other after about two weeks in space, when Heru notices that Binti’s braids are braided in a specific pattern that creates a code. Soon after this, Binti witnesses the Meduse murder Heru.

Heru Quotes in Binti

The Binti quotes below are all either spoken by Heru or refer to Heru. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Identity, Home, and Travel Theme Icon
).
Binti Quotes

“I couldn’t help it,” he said, his fingertips reddish with my otjize.

“You can’t control yourself?” I snapped.

“You have exactly twenty-one,” he said. “And they’re braided in tessellating triangles. Is it some sort of code?”

I wanted to tell him that there was a code, that the pattern spoke my family’s bloodline, culture, and history. That my father had designed the code and my mother and aunties had shown me how to braid it into my hair.

Related Characters: Binti (speaker), Heru (speaker)
Related Symbols: Otjize
Page Number: 23
Explanation and Analysis:

In my culture, it is blasphemy to pray to inanimate objects, but I did it anyway. I prayed to a metal even my father had been unable to identify. I held it to my chest, shut my eyes, and I prayed to it, I am in your protection. Please protect me.

Related Characters: Binti (speaker), Okwu, Binti’s Father, Heru
Page Number: 24
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Binti LitChart as a printable PDF.
Binti PDF

Heru Quotes in Binti

The Binti quotes below are all either spoken by Heru or refer to Heru. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Identity, Home, and Travel Theme Icon
).
Binti Quotes

“I couldn’t help it,” he said, his fingertips reddish with my otjize.

“You can’t control yourself?” I snapped.

“You have exactly twenty-one,” he said. “And they’re braided in tessellating triangles. Is it some sort of code?”

I wanted to tell him that there was a code, that the pattern spoke my family’s bloodline, culture, and history. That my father had designed the code and my mother and aunties had shown me how to braid it into my hair.

Related Characters: Binti (speaker), Heru (speaker)
Related Symbols: Otjize
Page Number: 23
Explanation and Analysis:

In my culture, it is blasphemy to pray to inanimate objects, but I did it anyway. I prayed to a metal even my father had been unable to identify. I held it to my chest, shut my eyes, and I prayed to it, I am in your protection. Please protect me.

Related Characters: Binti (speaker), Okwu, Binti’s Father, Heru
Page Number: 24
Explanation and Analysis: