His Only Wife

Throughout Chapters 7 and 8, changes in Afi’s relationship with Eli challenge her understanding of herself, the Dynamics of Arranged Marriage, and the Intersection of Tradition and Personal Desire. The events of Chapter 7 depict Afi in a happy phase of her life and marriage with Eli. For a while, Afi believes their marriage is improving in both the private and public portions of their lives. Their first sexual encounter at the end of Chapter 6 catalyzes these positive shifts in their relationship. For the first time since her wedding, Afi feels like Eli’s wife, which for her, entails developing emotional connections with each other as well as public social ties. She and Eli do not simply spend time at home together during this time. Rather, their mutual affection transcends the bounds of the domestic. Because Eli is showing Afi off to his family and his friends, Afi feels as if she and Eli are reaching a new realm of understanding. The couple visits popular dance and jazz clubs. They have dinners and drinks together. They dance, visit friends’ houses, and even spend a weekend away at a resort where they get to know Eli’s friends as a couple.  

Following what she has been taught since childhood about the role of a wife in building a marital relationship, Afi attributes the improvement of her marriage to her own character and efforts. She has been told that to be a good wife and to draw Eli away from his lover, she must care for him and give him what he wants and needs. Therefore, she interprets Eli’s affectionate behavior as evidence of her own success in satisfying Eli’s physical, emotional, and sexual needs. When Afi discovers that Eli is still seeing Muna and has no intention of stopping at the end of Chapter 7, however, Afi begins to doubt herself and the advice she has been given by the defenders of traditional marriage, such as her mother and Aunty. The events of Chapter 8 starkly contrast with those of Chapter 7, as Afi and Eli start to withdraw from one another. Afi thinks that arranged marriages to strangers are meant to gradually evolve into loving, mutual relationships. However, what she discovers in her own arranged marriage is that her efforts as a wife cannot control her husband’s choices or actions. Regardless of how well Afi performs her social role, or of how emotionally connected she feels to her husband, he continues to behave as he pleases. Her marriage disempowers Afi as a woman and a person because it is founded upon an imbalance of power between her and her husband.

The Intersection of Tradition and Personal Desire also puts new pressure on Afi’s relationship with her mother. Before marrying Eli, Afi’s closest relationships are with her mother and her cousin. However, Afi’s marriage has directly impeded closeness with Olivia. Olivia is more concerned that Afi fulfills her duties and upholds tradition than she is about Afi’s happiness. When Olivia fails to support her after Eli leaves the King’s Court flat during the argument about Muna, Afi turns to her new friendship with Evelyn for comfort. Like Sarah’s character, Evelyn’s character represents the Empowerment of Women. The more time that Afi spends with Evelyn, the more inspired and emboldened she feels. Evelyn is the first person in Afi’s life who speaks plainly to her. For example, she informs Afi that the Ganyos “don’t want to admit” the truth about Eli and Muna and even urges Afi to tell Eli that she wants “to move into his house” (151). Furthermore, Evelyn speaks openly about her frustrations with Aunty and Aunty’s power over her sons. As Afi’s relationship with her develops, “advice on the house [and marriage isn’t] the only area where Evelyn” helps her (163). Evelyn shepherds Afi into the business and social world. She becomes an archetypal guide for Afi as Afi gradually learns how to stand up for herself and make her way in Accra as an independent female entrepreneur. Therefore, Afi’s developing relationship with a character like Evelyn bolsters her belief in herself and changes how she thinks about intimacy, love, and autonomy, moving Afi away from adhering to tradition and toward her own desires and personal empowerment.