Summary Of Buchi Emecheta's The Bride Price

The Bride Price is set in Nigeria, and while the year is not explicitly defined, it is likely set somewhere around 1960. This was the year that Nigeria gained independence from the United Kingdom and was trying to find a foothold in its newfound freedom, with dreams of education and a progressive society; before the discovery of the oil wells that tore the country in two, sending it into a series of civil wars that would finally end a decade later. Buchi Emecheta had spent her youth in Nigeria, before moving to London in 1964. The feminine oppression and poverty experienced by the main lead in the novel could well be founded in her own experiences. However, Emecheta stepped out of an abusive and unhappy marriage along with her children to pursue her career in writing. She has woven an intricate web of Nigerian culture into this small novel to show the struggles of a young woman Aku-nna, striving to grasp her own

Also, Okonkwo wanted a share of the money his brother had left his family, thus he happily went ahead with the marriage. Another feature of the African society was the undue importance given to the number of wives a man had in his compound. The more number of wives meant more respect in the society, as if they were property to men. So, following tradition, Ma Blackie becomes the fourth wife of Okonkwo. However, she had one condition, that her children would continue their schooling. Her late husband ‘ had left over one hundred pounds in savings and had joined a progressive Ibuza group called the Pioneer Association, whose aim was to ensure that on the death of any member the first son of the family would be educated to grammar-school level. So there was nothing Okonkwo could have done to stop Nna-nndo’s