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’s list of chores at Big Madam’s house is endless: she is responsible for everything from sleeping the floors, to pulling weeds, to massaging Big Madam’s feet. She is only allowed to eat once a day, in the afternoon, though sometimes Kofi sneaks her food early in the morning when Big Madam is still sleeping. Two weeks ago, Big Madam caught Adunni eating this forbidden meal and beat her. Since then, Big Madam has beaten Adunni almost every day, sometimes for a transgression as harmless as singing to herself while she works. Kofi finds Big Madam’s treatment of Adunni to be exceptionally cruel and suggests that Adunni return to her village, but Adunni knows that this is impossible.
It's clear that Big Madam has plenty of resources to share, so she’s choosing to be cruel by not providing Adunni with adequate meals. This, and her physical abuse of Adunni, show that having wealth and a life free from hardship (on the surface, at least) isn’t enough to make someone a good person. Despite the physical abuse Adunni incurs while at Big Madam’s, she doesn’t really have the option to leave: she could still be punished for Khadija’s death if she returns to her village. Moreover, Kola is keeping Adunni’s salary to himself, which leaves her with no funds to escape to some other place.
Themes
Kofi explains to Adunni that he is only working for Big Madam because he lost his distinguished job as the Ghanaian ambassador to Nigeria’s personal chef and needs to make enough money to finish building his house back home. Since Adunni can’t return to her village, Kofi advises her to stop complaining, stop singing, and stay out of Big Madam’s way. Adunni heeds Kofi’s advice and comes up with a plan to avoid Big Madam.
Kofi’s professional training seems to have afforded him a wealth of opportunities to travel to different places and begin to build a life for himself back home in Ghana. In contrast, Adunni, who has very little formal education, doesn’t have all these options available to her. It’s for this reason that Kofi is so insistent that Adunni does everything she can to stay in Big Madam’s good graces and keep her housecleaning job.
Themes
This morning, when Adunni hears Big Madam’s car arrive at the compound, she heads to the library, shuts the door, and reads to herself as she cleans. She picks up one book called “the Collins” that contains words with their definitions beside them. Adunni looks up “innocent,” the word that Big Daddy used when Adunni first met him. She wonders why Big Daddy would care whether she’s “pure,” or if she can be pure after spending so many horrendous nights with Morufu.
Ever resourceful, Adunni finds a way to educate herself, even as she finds herself in a new situation that prevents her from receiving a formal education. “The Collins” refers to the Collins English Dictionary. When Adunni learns the definition of “innocent” in the dictionary, it allows her to understand the salacious meaning behind Big Daddy’s comment when she first met him. Adunni’s worry that she can’t be “pure” after Morufu’s sexual abuse illustrates trauma’s lasting impact.
Themes
Adunni picks up another book, a thick volume called The Book of Nigerian Facts, which contains facts about Nigeria from the past until the present year of 2014. She reads, “Fact: October 1st, 1960: Nigeria’s Independence Day. Nigeria gained independence from Britain.” She wonders what Britain is, and when they took Nigeria’s freedom. She reads another fact about students at the University of Port Harcourt who were accused of stealing and tortured and beaten by the Aluu community. Their deaths resulted in “a global outcry against jungle justice in Nigeria.” She wonders if she would suffer this same “jungle justice” if she stayed behind in Agan village after Bamidele’s wife called her a thief.
Nigeria existed as a colony under British rule since the early 20th century but achieved independence in 1960. Adunni’s curiosity regarding this fact shows how eager she is to learn more about her country and the world more broadly. The second fact Adunni reads refers to a more recent event, occurring on October 5, 2012, in which four university students were tortured and killed by members of the Aluu community after the students were falsely accused of theft. Adunni’s anxiety about “jungle justice” reinforces the strong hold that social norms hold over certain communities in Nigeria.
Themes
Get the entire The Girl with the Louding Voice LitChart as a printable PDF.
Adunni continues to clean the library. When she’s done, she writes the shopping list, consulting the Collins to check her spelling. Big Madam calls for Adunni, and when Adunni takes too long to respond, Big Madam beats her. Big Daddy enters the room and, addressing Big Madam as Florence, scolds her for being so hard on Adunni and the other house girls. Adunni notices that Big Daddy’s eyes aren’t red, and his words aren’t slurring today.
Adunni’s use of the Collins to perfect her shopping list shows how she’s already using self-education to improve different facets of her life. Big Daddy’s intervention stops Big Madam’s violence, but given Big Daddy’s earlier inappropriate comments and Kofi’s advice to be careful of him, it seems that Adunni should remain vigilant around Big Daddy. Still, Adunni’s powerlessness requires her to accept help from whomever is willing to give it to her, so she doesn’t really have any choice but to be grateful that her beating is brought to an end.
Themes
Big Madam mutters something about “prostitute-girlfriend” and leaves the room. Adunni thanks Big Daddy for his kindness, and Big Daddy tells her to come closer. He gives her a tight, long embrace and tells her he wants her to let him “protect” her against Big Madam. Adunni frees herself from Big Daddy’s embrace and flees.
Big Madam’s comment about Big Daddy’s “prostitute-girlfriend” echoes Labake’s earlier insult toward Adunni on her first night at Morufu’s house. Like Labake, it appears as though Big Madam responds to her husband’s disrespect by taking out hurt and frustration on other women. Big Daddy’s offer to “protect” Adunni against Big Madam is a manipulation tactic. He seems to recognize how victimized and powerless Adunni is and sees an opportunity to take advantage of her. It’s not clear what Big Daddy might want from Adunni in exchange for his “protection,” but given his earlier suggestive comments toward her, it’s possibly something of a sexual nature.
Themes
Adunni runs into Kofi and tells him about the scene with Big Daddy. Kofi appears concerned. In her heart, Adunni “know[s] what Big Daddy is wanting, but [she is] afraid to think it.” Kofi urges Adunni not to cry. He reminds her that she must be careful around Big Daddy and promises to look out for her. When Adunni tries to sleep later that night, all she can see is Big Daddy’s sharp teeth, dripping with blood.
Adunni seems well aware of Big Daddy’s ulterior motive behind helping her. The fact that she is “afraid to think” about what he wants (something of a sexual nature, most likely) suggests that she is still suffering psychologically from Morufu’s sexual abuse and copes by repressing memories of her trauma.
Themes
