Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Girl with the Louding Voice, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Education, Empowerment, and Self-Worth
Gender Inequality and Solidarity
Wealth, Poverty, and Choice
Survival
Summary
Analysis
Adunni pesters Kofi to say more about Rebecca, but Kofi remains secretive about the ordeal, cautioning Adunni not to ask Big Madam about Rebecca. Suddenly the door to the kitchen opens, and Big Madam walks in, though Adunni initially doesn’t recognize her without her makeup. Adunni tries to ask Big Madam about her pay, but Kofi abruptly interjects, telling Big Madam he has shown Adunni the ropes, just as she asked him to do.
Kofi’s warning not to discuss Rebecca with Big Madam suggests that the subject bothers her, though he doesn’t explain (and might not even know) why this is the case. So far, Adunni seems to be the only person who wants to speak up on Rebecca’s behalf. That Adunni can barely recognize Big Madam without her makeup reinforces the idea that there’s more to Big Madam than what appears on the surface, and that she might be hiding something more sinister beneath her painted face.
Themes
Big Madam orders Adunni out of the kitchen and into the parlor. She instructs Adunni to kneel every time she addresses her. Then, Big Madam verifies that Adunni can read and write and gives her a notebook, telling her that she will be in charge of making a shopping list for Abu to take to the store.
That Adunni must kneel before Big Madam illustrates the role wealth plays in establishing and maintaining power dynamics. Just as male characters have used their gender to oppress Adunni, Big Madam uses her wealth and social privilege to control and exert power over Adunni.
Themes
Big Madam tells Adunni a little about herself, establishing her impressive role in society: important people wear her clothes, and her store, Kayla’s Fabrics, is the very best. Big Madam orders Adunni to massage her feet. While Adunni is in the middle of the massage, Big Daddy walks into the parlor. He wears a white agbada, cap, and an eyeglass, and he has white facial hair. Big Daddy asks her Adunni name, and Adunni notices that he slurs his words, like Papa.
Unlike many of the other women Adunni encounters, Big Madam has the power and independence that come with being wealthy and having her own career. This independence may affect her relationship with her husband, particularly compared to the other marriages Adunni has witnessed (her own included) in which the wives’ lack of financial security forces them to submit to their husbands. Adunni’s observation that Big Daddy slurs his words implies that he, like Papa, is a drinker.
Themes
Adunni introduces herself, to which Big Daddy responds “Adunni, dunnilicious,” licking his lips. Big Daddy, whose real name is Chief Adeoti, makes Adunni feel uncomfortable. Adunni looks at Big Madam, but she’s asleep. Big Daddy asks Adunni how old she is, remarking that she is “almost an adult. Not so innocent.” Adunni doesn’t know what “innocent” means. Suddenly, Big Madam wakes up and orders Adunni to tell Kofi to have dinner ready. Big Daddy’s gaze follows Adunni as she leaves the room.
Big Daddy’s behaves inappropriately and suggestively. His comment about Adunni being “almost an adult. Not so innocent” seems sexual in nature, with Big Daddy implying that Adunni is almost old enough to do things that adults do, like have sex. But Adunni’s limited vocabulary makes it difficult for her to recognize Big Daddy’s insinuation.
Themes
Get the entire The Girl with the Louding Voice LitChart as a printable PDF.
That night, as Adunni sits in her room, she’s grateful to have her own room and bed even though she’s sore and exhausted from cleaning all day. Still, the grief she feels from missing her loved ones makes her “feel as if [her] body is missing a part of it.” As she drifts off to sleep, she remembers a time when she was five and Mama took her to see the waterfalls in Agan. Adunni was afraid, but Mama comforted her, urging her not to be afraid, to “listen to the music in the noise” of the churning water. Adunni feels this same fear, but tonight, there is no Mama her to comfort her. The last thing Adunni thinks about before falling asleep is Khadija, lying beside the river, begging Adunni to help her.
Adunni reflects on this happy memory with Mama to comfort herself, but she’s endured so much that it’s hard to stay optimistic, particularly when her associations with water are tainted by her memory of Khadija’s death. Water used to remind Adunni of strength and the close bond she had with Mama, but now the more recent experience of Bamidele’s abandonment and Khadija’s death recasts water in a more negative light. Water no longer symbolizes a close bond between women, but how the cruel actions of men can tear these relationships apart.
Themes
