The Girl with the Louding Voice

“We have a tee-vee in our parlor; it didn’t work.” 

Adunni grows up in poverty. Her family may be poor, but they are proud people. A broken television is positioned in their home to give the impression that the family is wealthier than it actually is. The ownership of the broken television reveals the importance of appearances in the community. The family is about to be thrown out of their house, and their most prized possession is broken. However, they retain their pride and maintain the illusion that they are successful. 

“The black of a mourner!” 

Enitan asks Adunni which color lipstick they should prepare for the imminent wedding to Morufu. Adunni thinks to herself that she should select “the black of a mourner” (16). Her choice reveals the seriousness of the situation. Adunni views the marriage to Morufu like a death. The wedding will be a symbolic funeral at which she mourns the loss of her dreams. Adunni keeps these thoughts to herself, however. She is already beginning to plot how she might escape from her situation. 

“My wedding be like a movie inside the tee-vee.”

Adunni watches her wedding unfold but feels entirely disconnected from the world. The spectacle of the wedding is separate from her reality.