The Joys of Motherhood

I think that throughout the novel the most significant aspect of it was Nnu Ego's committment to her children. Nnu Ego never felt like she was a complete woman until she had children with Nnaife. This is because "she had been brought up to beilive that children made a woman" (219). When Nnu Ego first had her child and lost it, she was soo depressed because she felt like a failure, and she even tried to committ suicide. Nnu Ego spent all her money, and time, and energy raising her children well so that one day they would take care of her when she was old. This is seen when Nnaife was always telling her sons to "work hard in school" or when she was tellin them that they were "handsome" or "her boys." This relationship she maintained with the only male heirs of Nnaife was out of true love and out of hope that they would give back to the family when they got older. The problem with this situation is that Nnu Ego became almost a slave to her children due to her love for them. "It occurred to Nnu Ego that she was a prisoner, imprisoned by her love for her children" (137). Nnu Ego would not leave Nnaife even in the worst of times because of the children that she had had with him. She also did the most strenuous job, that of gathering the wood, to make sure her boys could remain in school and that she had enough money to feed the family. Nnu Ego thought that when she got older she would have a litlle peace but this was not the case. Her eldest son Oshia did not help the family like she hoped and he even married a white lady. Nnu ego would eventually have to move back to Ibuza where she died with no since of peace. "Poor Nnu Ego, even in death she had no peace (224)!