Nervous Conditions

by

Tsitsi Dangarembga

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Lucia Character Analysis

Lucia is Mainini's younger sister. Unlike Mainini, Lucia is unmarried, and, until Tambu goes to the mission, lived with her parents in relative freedom. This means that Lucia is very independent, able to think for herself, and has no qualms about having sex when and with whom she wants—though this also earns her a reputation as a loose woman and possibly as a witch. She comes to the homestead when Mainini becomes pregnant to help out, where she soon begins sexual relationships with Takesure and with Jeremiah. When she becomes pregnant with Takesure's baby, it causes a number of problems within the family, mostly because Babamukuru is incensed that nobody will listen to his instructions and about Jeremiah's desire to claim the baby as his own and take Lucia as a second wife. Being so headstrong, Lucia refuses to let the men make decisions about her without consulting her, so she interrupts the family meeting to tell the truth—that neither Takesure nor Jeremiah are good or honest men—and to threaten to run away with Mainini. This earns her the respect of Nyasha, who believes in women's liberation. A few days after Mainini gives birth, Babamukuru finds Lucia a job as a cook at the mission school. There, Lucia is also able to attend school for the first time, which gives her a sense of direction, agency, and purpose. She remains a powerful force in Mainini and Tambu's lives; when Mainini becomes ill following the news that Tambu will attend Sacred Heart, Lucia visits the homestead to jolt Mainini into wellness and taking care of herself.

Lucia Quotes in Nervous Conditions

The Nervous Conditions quotes below are all either spoken by Lucia or refer to Lucia. 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:
The Limits of Education Theme Icon
).
Chapter Seven Quotes

Although she had been brought up in abject poverty, she had not, like my mother, been married to it at fifteen. Her spirit, unfettered in this respect, had experimented with living and drawn its own conclusions. Consequently, she was a much bolder woman than my mother […].

Related Characters: Tambu (speaker), Mainini, Lucia
Page Number: 129
Explanation and Analysis:

But the women had been taught to recognize these reflections as self and it was frightening now to even begin to think that, the very facts which set them apart as a group, as women, as a certain kind of person, were only myths; frightening to acknowledge that generations of threat and assault and neglect had battered these myths into the extreme, dividing reality they faced, of the Maigurus or the Lucias.

Related Characters: Tambu (speaker), Mainini, Maiguru, Lucia, Patience
Page Number: 140
Explanation and Analysis:

"Because she's rich and comes here and flashes her money around, so you listen to her as though you want to eat the words that come out of her mouth […] I am poor and ignorant, that's me, but I have a mouth and it will keep on talking, it won't keep quiet."

Related Characters: Mainini (speaker), Tambu, Maiguru, Lucia, Patience
Page Number: 140
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter Eight Quotes

I simply was not ready to accept that Babamukuru was a historical artifact; or that advantage and disadvantage were predetermined, so that Lucia could not really hope to achieve much as a result of Babamukru's generosity; and that the benefit would only really be a long-term one if people like Babamukuru kept on fulfilling their social obligation; and people like Lucia would pull themselves together.

Related Characters: Tambu (speaker), Babamukuru, Nyasha, Lucia
Page Number: 162
Explanation and Analysis:
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Lucia Quotes in Nervous Conditions

The Nervous Conditions quotes below are all either spoken by Lucia or refer to Lucia. 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:
The Limits of Education Theme Icon
).
Chapter Seven Quotes

Although she had been brought up in abject poverty, she had not, like my mother, been married to it at fifteen. Her spirit, unfettered in this respect, had experimented with living and drawn its own conclusions. Consequently, she was a much bolder woman than my mother […].

Related Characters: Tambu (speaker), Mainini, Lucia
Page Number: 129
Explanation and Analysis:

But the women had been taught to recognize these reflections as self and it was frightening now to even begin to think that, the very facts which set them apart as a group, as women, as a certain kind of person, were only myths; frightening to acknowledge that generations of threat and assault and neglect had battered these myths into the extreme, dividing reality they faced, of the Maigurus or the Lucias.

Related Characters: Tambu (speaker), Mainini, Maiguru, Lucia, Patience
Page Number: 140
Explanation and Analysis:

"Because she's rich and comes here and flashes her money around, so you listen to her as though you want to eat the words that come out of her mouth […] I am poor and ignorant, that's me, but I have a mouth and it will keep on talking, it won't keep quiet."

Related Characters: Mainini (speaker), Tambu, Maiguru, Lucia, Patience
Page Number: 140
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter Eight Quotes

I simply was not ready to accept that Babamukuru was a historical artifact; or that advantage and disadvantage were predetermined, so that Lucia could not really hope to achieve much as a result of Babamukru's generosity; and that the benefit would only really be a long-term one if people like Babamukuru kept on fulfilling their social obligation; and people like Lucia would pull themselves together.

Related Characters: Tambu (speaker), Babamukuru, Nyasha, Lucia
Page Number: 162
Explanation and Analysis: