Lucia is one of the woman who lived their own life she does not believe a lot in the African Tradition.
She is Ma’Shingays sister. She does not believe that a woman must be silent an obedient. She is a
strong-willed woman. She is an independent and an ambitious woman. People in the homestead
regard her as a witch and a prostitute who has been accused of sleeping around with older richer
man. She is regarded as a witch by Takesure. Babumkuru goes to the homestead during school
vacation. Babamkuru finds Lucia there and is not happy. Lucia is pregnant with Takesures child
Babamkurus distant cousin who already has two wives that he cannot even afford to support. Lucia
rebels against patriarchal system, she stands up to Babamkurus authority. When Babamkuru calls for
a meeting to discuss Lucia and Takesures affair they do not include her because she is a woman but
Lucia decides to attends a men’s family meeting where she refuses to marry Jeremiah and become
the second wife and as well as mentions her power an pride by not marrying Takesure. Lucia says
that she will leave or stay, depending Ma’Shingayi wants. Lucia then confronts Babamkuru for
punishing Tambu who refused to attend her parents wedding. Lucia plays a role of an ambitious
woman, who wants to educate herself and improve a lot in life, she asks Babamkuru to find her a job
and he does find her a job as a cook at the school and soon begins taking classes. She is judged by
Nyasha who feels she should not have had to beg him for a job so much she tells Nyasha and Tambu
that “But you, Nyasha are you mad! Babamukuru wanted to be asked, so I asked. And now we both
have what we wanted. Lucia shows her positive response towards westernise lifestyle.
Maiguru is an educated woman like Babamukuru she has a Master’s degree in philosophy but she
sacrifices to put her husbands and her family’s needs before hers. When they return to Rhodasia
Maiguru wishes her children to retain the mark of distinct and difference that they have achieved
from living in a western society. She defends the fact that they have lost their ability to communicate
fluently in Shona their native tongue. She is concerned about the development of her children and
their responses to the various cultural traditions both Western and African with which they have
been raised. Her home represents both African Tradition and Westernisation. After the family has
settled back into life in Rhodasia, Maigurus reactions and attitude changes and she grown concerned
at how Anglicized her children have become. She is seen as a woman who does not have the
capacity to influence her own thoughts. She cannot make her free choices she is in tramped in a
marriage. Maiguru is one of the woman in this novel who are portrayed as having no authority over
man they are expected to do all the work with no credit. The money she earns is not her own it is
used to support Babamkurus extended family. Even though she has the same educational
qualification as her husband but to him she is not seen as equal. She keeps silent and obedient. She
tries by all means to please and be submissive to her husband, she calls him “Daddy dear” and
“Sweet pie”. When the family returns to the homestead for the holidays, Maiguru is expected to do
the majority of the work, she cannot delegate any part of this because she is the wife to the elder
son in the family Babamkuru. She is not liked by the other woman in the homestead especially
Ma’Shingayi who says Maiguru believes herself better than everyone else because of her wealth and
education. She confronts Babamkuru about the lack of respect and recognition of her “not happy
anymore in the house. She explodes with: I’m tired of my house being a hostel for your family. I am
tired of being a house keeper for them. Im tired of being nothing in a home I am working sick to
support”(p172) this is an action that leads to her leaving the house for a week. But this act shows
that she depends on a man because she goes to his brother who is also a representative of the male
patriarch. After this act of braveness she shows that she has evolved into a realistic model of
modern womanhood for the young girls of her core. She refuses to send another Christmas at the
homestead. This shows that Maiguru has a positive attitude towards westernised lifestyle not
African Tradition.
Tambudzai being a girl is exposed at an early age to the effect of a patriarchal society. For Tambu
African tradition represents the enslaved poverty that has to be in the past. As a girl child she is not
expected to be educated only the eldest boy child in the family has to be educated so that he will be
able to support the family. Her education is sacrificed so that her brother Nhamo who is not
supportive towards Tambu as she wants to go to school “Don’t you know I am the one who has to go
to school?”(p20) because Tambu comes from a very poor family only his brother is sent to school.
Her father Jeremiah has a negative attitude towards Tambu wanting to go to school he ask her “Can
you cookbooks and feed them to your husband? Stay at home with your mother learn to cook and
clean grow vegetables” (p15) this confirms that his father believes that woman have to be
domesticated only. According to the African Tradition Tambu is assigned the task of taking the bowl
of water to each of the relatives for washing their hands because this is what a woman is exected to
do. She goes against her father’s idea and grows mealies to source money to pay for her fees. She
also has to fight Nhamo who steals her mealies. Tambu play a role of a character who displays
agency a lot. She is given an opportunity after the death of her brother to go to the mission school
this is not to benefit her but rather her family but for Tambu this is a symbol of liberation. Tambu
has always looked up to Maiguru. According to Tambu Maiguru is free from constrains that society
society puts on people like her mother. Coming to live with Maiguru and Babamkuru it paints a
different picture she sees Maiguru as a powerless like all the other woman in Rhodesia. Tambu is
taken from the dirty homestead so she remains silent and grateful. For that Babamkuru admires
Tambu. Tambu starts to embrace westernisation she also says that she doesn’t like parties but finds
that she has a good time. Tambu appears as the destructive force against patriarchy as she shows
urgency. Tambu shows another sign of urgency against Babamkuru when she refuses to attend her
parents wedding and punished for that. By the end of the novel Nyasha is ready to question things
that may affect her life and show shows a positive attitude towards westernised life.
Nyasha shows the agency to think for herself, act independently. Nyasha is caught between
westernisation and African Tradition