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
Fact: Nigerians didn’t need passports to enter the UK until 1984. Adunni struggles in her English lessons, sometimes having a hard time differentiating between the English she speaks and Ms. Tia’s “correct English,” but both of them look forward to the daily lessons. Sometimes, they just talk. Yesterday, Adunni filled Ms. Tia in on her past: about Papa wanting to sell her to Morufu, running away, Mr. Kola bringing her here, and Mama’s death. She doesn’t tell Ms. Tia that she was actually married to Morufu, that he repeatedly raped her, or about Khadija’s death, because she must “keep it inside one box in [her] mind, lock the box, and throw away the key inside the river of [her] soul.”
The difference between Adunni’s and Ms. Tia’s English results from Ms. Tia’s wealth affording her the privilege of receiving a formal education; in contrast, Adunni has received much less schooling and has had to self-educate. Ms. Tia and Adunni develop a deeper, closer relationship during these lessons, which suggests that education can also foster personal growth and emotional maturity. Still, even though Adunni trusts Ms. Tia, there are some traumas, like Khadija’s death, that remain too painful to acknowledge directly. Adunni is determined to survive and stay strong; she buries these traumas inside herself because to acknowledge them would be to make herself vulnerable and unable to complete the tasks she needs to do to make it through the day.
Themes
Ms. Tia tells Adunni about her own life, as well: she is close with her father, but she and Ms. Tia’s mother always fight. Growing up, her mother was very demanding and didn’t let her have a lot of friends. She also didn’t teach Ms. Tia how to speak Yoruba, which means Ms. Tia can’t communicate with her husband’s family. Adunni tells her that she can teach her.
The reader discovers the truth behind Ms. Tia’s earlier remark that she hasn’t cried for her sick mother, though Ms. Tia’s explanation is rather vague. Ms. Tia’s response to her mother’s advocacy is very different from Adunni’s. Adunni’s offer to teach Ms. Tia Yoruba shows that Adunni sees value in women supporting other women and wants to help Ms. Tia, just as Ms. Tia has helped her.
Themes
Ms. Tia also tells Adunni that she actually does want children, and even though her husband didn’t used to want children, they are trying now. Adunni asks Ms. Tia what made her change her mind, but Ms. Tia changes the subject, gesturing toward her phone and instructing Adunni to complete an oral lesson in English, which Adunni dislikes because it’s difficult for her to understand the fast words of the speakers on the phone. Over time, Adunni notices that Ms. Tia repeatedly shifts their focus back to an oral lesson whenever Adunni asks her a personal question.
There’s still a bit of a mystery to Ms. Tia. It seems as though Ms. Tia, like Adunni, isn’t ready to talk about the particularly difficult, emotional details of her life. Perhaps there is more to the story about her bad relationship with her mother than she’s letting on. Ms. Tia comes across as an outwardly strong person, so it’s possible that, like Adunni, she knows she needs to hide the vulnerable parts of herself in order to keep up her strong, determined persona.
Themes
Tonight, however, Adunni decides to press Ms. Tia for answers, inquiring again why she changed her mind about wanting children. Ms. Tia sighs, blinks, and begins to speak, explaining how Ms. Tia’s mother was very hard on her, controlling every facet of her life, making her study all the time, deciding what she would be when she grew up, when she would marry, and when she would have kids. Ms. Tia decided not to have kids to rebel against her mother, and she also couldn’t imagine bringing children into the world if there was a chance that she’d treat them the way her mother had treated her. Also, she was happy not to contribute to the planet’s overpopulation.
There’s a sharp contrast between Ms. Tia and Adunni’s responses to their mothers’ advice. Adunni’s mother also instructed her on what she would need to do to have a successful life, but Adunni accepted her mother’s advice, whereas Ms. Tia rebelled against her mother’s wishes. The difference lies in privilege: Ms. Tia had many options available to her in terms of careers and relationships, so she had the freedom to carve out her own path in life. In contrast, Adunni’s social status and the norms of her village left her with fewer options: she could either be married off and forced to submit to a husband for the rest of her life, or she could listen to Mama, become educated, and have a chance at a better life.
Themes
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Last year, though, Ms. Tia’s mother was diagnosed with a terminal illness, and Ms. Tia began to travel to Port Harcourt to see her more often. Her mother become less harsh, and Ms. Tia started to understand her mother’s point of view a bit better. It even seemed as though her mother wanted to apologize for the way things had been. Ms. Tia began to wish that she had a baby to bring with her to give her mother something to live for. The day that Adunni told Ms. Tia that she loved Papa even though he had treated her poorly, it made Ms. Tia realize that she could choose to be a good mother.
The time limitation that Ms. Tia’s mother’s illness imposes on their relationship functions in a way that’s a bit similar to wealth’s ability to widen or limit a person’s opportunities. Ms. Tia feels the pressure of her mother’s time running out, so she feels like she has to improve their relationship while she still has the chance. In contrast, when her mother was healthy, she wasn’t pressured to fix their relationship because it might have felt as though they had all the time in the world to make things better—her situation didn’t force her to act in one way or another.
Themes
Six nights later, Adunni sits in her room and reads the practice materials Ms. Tia gave her. She hears the door behind her creak. When she turns around, Big Daddy is standing in her room. Adunni feels his eyes on her chest. Big Daddy tells Adunni that she is a beautiful girl. He complains about Big Madam being “threatened” by all the female staff, even though she has nothing to worry about with him. Adunni folds her hand in front of her dress. Big Daddy offers Adunni “a proposal,” offering to “help” her by giving her money. Adunni declines his offer and tells him to leave or she’ll scream.
It's clear that Big Madam really does have something to worry about, as Big Daddy has now made Adunni feel uncomfortable on numerous occasions. In saying that Big Madam is “threatened” by the female staff, Big Daddy insinuates that they are the ones sexually propositioning him, when in reality, it’s obvious that Big Daddy is the aggressor. This is the type of logic employed by women like Labake, and hearing it from an abusive man like Big Daddy underscores how counterproductive it is. If Big Madam really feels threatened by the female staff, rather than her husband’s actions, she’s misunderstanding who the enemy really is.
Themes
Just then, Kofi appears in the hallway, wearing only a cloth around his waist. Adunni thinks she’s “never been so happy to see a almost naked man in [her] whole life.” Kofi explains that he was sleeping but woke up when he heard noises. Big Daddy lies about hearing Adunni call for help and leaves the room. Once they are alone, Adunni thanks Kofi for coming to her rescue. Kofi reminds Adunni to prepare her essay for the scholarship application. Adunni tells Kofi that Ms. Tia is helping with her English, the mere thought of which fills her with hope.
Adunni’s observation about having “never been so happy to see a almost naked man in [her] whole life” speaks to the sexual violence she’s been submitted to. Kofi stands out as one of the good men in Adunni’s life; his character demonstrates that men in positions of relative power can also choose to advocate for young girls.
Themes
