Cobbe Otcher Character Analysis in Homegoing

Cobbe is Effia and Fiifi’s father and Baaba’s husband. He is a good father to Effia, even while Baaba is cruel. However, when Cobbe is on his deathbed, Effia realizes that he had raped his house girl Maame, and that Effia is in fact Maame’s daughter. She also realizes that Cobbe had shamed Baaba by making her take care of Effia.

Cobbe Otcher Quotes in Homegoing

The Homegoing quotes below are all either spoken by Cobbe Otcher or refer to Cobbe Otcher. 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:

). Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the Vintage edition of Homegoing published in 2017.

He knew then that the memory of the fire that burned, then fled, would haunt him, his children, and his children’s children for as long as the line continued.

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Page Number and Citation: 3

Explanation and Analysis:

Cobbe Otcher Character Timeline in Homegoing

The timeline below shows where the character Cobbe Otcher appears in Homegoing. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Racism, Slavery, and Systemic Oppression Theme Icon

...Fanteland. It moves through the forest for days, wrecking everything in its path. Effia’s father, Cobbe Otcher, leaves Effia with his first wife, Baaba, to survey his yams, which have been... (full context)

...fire, and that was why Baaba had no milk. Effia is nursed by another of Cobbe’s wives, but she bites the woman until the woman is too afraid to feed her.... (full context)

Gender Stereotypes, Sexism, and Violence Theme Icon

When Cobbe comes home and discovers what happened, he and Baaba fight into the night, and he... (full context)

...the village wait for her to begin her menstrual cycle so that they can ask Cobbe for her hand in marriage. The family starts to receive gifts from the men. (full context)

When Effia meets the soldier, she hides behind Cobbe’s leg, as she has never seen a white man before. Cobbe and Baaba show him... (full context)

Cobbe then pulls Effia aside, explaining that the white men bring those goods to trade with... (full context)

Cobbe and Fiifi return from the meeting. Cobbe carries a new machete, and shouts that they... (full context)

In the days following the chief ceremony, Cobbe continues to ask Baaba what is happening with Effia, as he had hoped that she... (full context)

...Cape Coast Castle. Within a week, he comes back to ask Baaba for Effia’s hand. Cobbe is outraged because he wants her to marry Abeeku, but Baaba convinces him that Effia... (full context)

Cobbe tells Baaba that they must make Abeeku think that it is his own idea for... (full context)

Abeeku calls Effia into the room, and tells Baaba and Cobbe that they are right—Effia should marry James Collins. Cobbe weeps openly, but Baaba is happy.... (full context)

...is thrilled at the news. But soon after, they receive word from Effia’s village that Cobbe has fallen ill. Effia wants to travel back to the village, as she has not... (full context)

...Effia’s village. Baaba stands in the entranceway when she arrives, scowling. Baaba leads Effia to Cobbe. No one knows why Cobbe is ill, and Fiifi explains that Cobbe cannot speak. Fiifi... (full context)

Fiifi then reveals that Baaba is not Effia’s mother. Effia is actually the child of Cobbe and a house girl (Maame) who ran away into the fire the night Effia was... (full context)

Fiifi steps outside, and Cobbe takes his last breath. Effia thinks that Fiifi’s revelation allowed Cobbe to pass on his... (full context)

As Effia leaves, she starts to apologize to Baaba for the burden that Cobbe made her carry for so many years, but before she can speak, Baaba says: “You... (full context)

...Amma Atta, the daughter of Abeeku Badu’s successor. This marriage would fulfill the promise that Cobbe had made to Effia; that her blood would be joined with the blood of Fante... (full context)