STUDY GUIDE HALF OF A YELLOW SUN

Character Analysis

Ugwu (narrator)

 Tribal Igbo
o Ugwu comes from an Igbo village, where people live in mud huts with
thatched roofs and do not have a formal education. He is also very
superstitious (seen when he tells Olanna that he thinks Odenigbo’s mother
is going to try to kill her because he saw a black cat in front of the house).
 Poor background
o We see that Ugwu is very surprised and in fact does not believe his aunty
when she tells him that in the city he will eat meat every day. Also, the fact
that he is about 13 years old and that he has to go and work as a richer
man’s houseboy, shows that he needs a job in order to get through life,
even at his young age.
 Eager to learn
o When we hear Ugwu talking to Odenigbo at the beginning of the novel, we
get to know that he is looking forward to improving his English and going to
school even if he will have to go in to a class which is for children much
younger than him.
 Intelligent
o Later on in the novel we get to know that Ugwu’s teacher is thinking about
making him move up a year level at school before he is meant to because
he has made such rapid progress in learning, showing that not only is he
eager to learn, but that he is also very capable of learning.
 Rejection of origins
o When we see Ugwu back in his village at the beginning of part 2, he seems
disgusted at his mother’s hut and the way in which she lives. He also
dislikes the food which some years back was the food he had every day. He
seems to be ashamed of his origins, wishing to get back to the city as soon
as he can.

Richard (Narrator)

 Shy
o The character of Richard, presented to us from chapter 3, is instantly
portrayed as a shy character that doesn’t fit correctly in his imposed social
group, and therefore acts awkwardly with his fellow Englishmen. Later on in
the novel we notice Richard gaining more self confidence, but he still
doubts himself when relating to Kainene and doesn’t always speak what we
wants afraid that Kainene will reject him.
 Outcast
o As the novel progresses we see Richard interacting with two different
groups of people, the English expatriates and Odenigbo’s group of
intellectuals. From the beginning we are able to see that Richard feels
completely excluded from the expatriates as they are presented as being
cruel, seeing themselves superior from the rest, especially the native
 people. When Richard then meets Kainene, Olanna and Odenigbo, he is
included in Odenigbo’s group of intellectuals, but he doesn’t feel included
either. This is seen in page 111, where the character of Richard is insulted
by Okeoma’s aggressive defensive response towards Richard’s comment
about Igbo-Ukwu art.
 Loner
o “I’ve always been a loner (...) // A loner and a modern day explorer of the
Dark Continent.” We see him with people most of the time, but he does not
feel a part of them. This changes when he meets Kainene and further when
he moves to Nsukka and joins Odenigbo’s meetings in the evenings, but,
otherwise, he seems to be alone in this new world to him.
 Easily controlled
o We see two clear examples of women who control Richard; Susan and
Kainene. Susan takes him to parties to which he does not like to go to and
he does not seem to object to this. He is clearly subordinated to Kainene in
a way because he is always seeking to do what she wants him to do and to
please her, but always taking caution to not do something she does not like.

 Rejection of identity
o Richard always tries to lose his British identity and become more included in
the Nigerian culture, but in chapter 12 we see that it is because of this that
he is not killed like all the Igbo that were in the airport.
 Symbol of Englishmen
o Just like the stereotype of Englishmen that does not seem to change
through history, Richard throughout the novel appears to be unchanged on
the outside, but in the inside, unrevealed to the rest of the characters, he is
completely different.

Olanna (Narrator)

 Independent
o This independence is in terms of her parents mainly. She does not depend
on her parents for money or a job like Kainene seems to be, having
received a house and a business from them.
 Intelligent/Educated
o She shows a great deal of intelligence by just participating in the
conversations that occur in the meetings at Odenigbo’s house. These
meetings seem to require a great understanding of many different subjects.
 Feminist
o Olanna wants to get married to Odenigbo but she says that if they were to
get married, she won’t be taken seriously anymore by other people because
she will not seem independent.
 Beautiful
o Throughout the novel Adichie emphasizes on Olanna’s beauty as one of
her major qualities. This makes her father focus more on Olanna rather
than her twin sister Kainene. Chief Ozobia uses Olanna as bate for his
business deals, while treating Kainene as his son and letting her handle the
family business.
  Not classist
o Doesn’t discriminate the houseboys or poorer people, trying to set an
example for the rest of the characters that treat the houseboys like animals
and say, “thanking them would only give room to be insulting”.

Kainene

 “Independent”
o When we first meet Kainene we get the impression that she is an
independent woman because of her usual, “bored expression”, and lack of
interest on everything, but when she needs to make business deals she is
efficient and successful, so we assume that she isn’t in need of anybody.
But as we read along we realize how dependent she is to her father’s
business, as she is, “the ugly daughter”, and so she can’t get married.
 Insecure
o Throughout the novel we can see subtle hints of Kainene’s insecurity. A
clear example of her insecurity is when she is with Richard, and he goes to
hug her. She doesn’t really know how to react and she quickly runs off to
get a cigarette.

Odenigbo

 Revolutionary
o His ideas go against the normal. He has ideas of a different Nigeria, where
people live differently and the government is not corrupt. These ideas are
discussed at the meetings at his house where they discuss and debate as
to how things should really be. Other people that live in Nigeria consider
these ideas as being revolutionary.
 Rejection of identity
o This can be very debatable because he never denies his Igbo origins, but
he does do certain things that in a way reject his true identity. He speaks
English instead of his native tongue of Igbo. He hires a houseboy, meaning
he has a fellow Igbo working for him as some kind of a servant. He also
doesn’t seem to like his mother much, or at least he doesn’t show much
affection towards her. His mother is an Igbo village woman. On the other
hand, his revolutionary ideas are for equality, including the Igbo people, his
people.

Baby

 This is the child that Odenigbo has with Amala (Odenigbo’s mum’s housegirl). She
lives with Odenigbo and Olanna. Even though it is not her child, Olanna takes great
care of her and protects her very much. This character is introduced to the novel
with the purpose of acting as the mayor conflict in Olanna and Odenigbo’s “perfect”
relationship.

Susan
  Susan is a stereotype of the British coloniser occupying Nigeria. Although she is
not portrayed as cruel and evil as the rest of the Englishmen, she is still self
centred and believes she is better than the Nigerians because she is British. She
doesn’t mind when Richard is speaking to a black woman as she can’t see them as
a threat sabotaging their relationship, but when he interacts with a white woman,
“Susan would throw a glass at the wall when they got home”.

Mama

 Odenigbo’s mother is a tribal woman. Her character help us to learn about

Odenigbo’s past and origins
Key scenes

Chapter 29-Rape scene

In this scene Ugwu and the rest of his platoon walk into a bar demanding drinks. Once
they all get the drunk Ugwu goes outside to urinate and when he come back in he finds the
rest of the soldiers raping the bar girl. Ugwu walks in and is pressured by the other soldiers
to rape her. Although unwilling he gives in a does it to then regret it.

In this scene we are able to see the brutality of the war and the soldiers in it and how it has
affected and changed Ugwu. The first sign of the soldier’s violent nature is when the
soldier comes in shouting “We destroyed the enemy!” “Give us beer!” showing not only the
violence in the word “destroyed” but also a violent and forceful way to treat the bar girl, in a
way trying to impose himself over her. Another thing that is mentioned is that this soldier
had “run off along before the vandals were close” showing us that he hadn’t joined the war
out of necessity or because he was forced but because he wanted to. This in a way shows
us that his soldier has an inherent violent nature.

Also this idea of brutality and violence of war is conveyed when the soldiers tell High-Tech
to “discharge and retire!” which seems to be very mechanical war like orders. It seems that
the rape was almost like a part of their military fight. As if it wasn’t out of their own
entertainment but because that is what they are meant to do in their current war situation.
It gives the idea that this is a completely accepted part of war absorbed in its entirety into
it. Rape seems to be just part of the brutality of war, almost unavoidable.

The soldiers also show their coldness and violent nature by pressuring Ugwu into raping
the girl. They question his manhood and say he’s afraid just because he’s not willing to
rape a woman. They seem not only to accept this as part of war but also they see anyone
that’s not willing to rape a woman as a coward and not a real man. It’s not that they accept
the idea of rape but they approve of it and see as part of being a brave and manly soldier
that is fighting the war for Biafra. It is a requirement of war and anyone that is not a rapist
is not accepted by them.

In terms of the war’s effect on Ugwu we can see how he is deeply struggling with the
whole situation. We first see how he’s irritated when he snaps at the soldier because his
“loudness annoyed him”. He seems to be bothered by everything the soldiers around him
do. He really dislikes his current situation and is under great stress. Also when High-Tech
takes the first page of his book he feels “rage pumped through” him showing us once
again Ugwu’s irritation and disdain towards the other soldiers. This is also quite clearly
expressed when Ugwu gives him a forceful slap.

This great stress caused by the war is clearly shown when the say that “He was not living
his life; life was living him” showing how he feels he has lost control over his life. He has
lost control and is uncertain what to do feeling desperate in face of the war and the
situation he’s living in. This causes him great stress and anguish and a feeling of longing
for his old life. This feeling of longing is accentuated by the fact that he thinks about “sitting
in the backyard in Nsukka, looking at the lemon tree”. He longs for his past life that is
contrasted by the suffering and the hardship of this new war time life he was not
accustomed to full of violence and anger.

When someone calls him to rape the woman we can clearly see his shock as he “backed
away from the door” unwilling to rape a woman. He seems to try to resist this new violent
and savage lifestyle brought on by the war. Although he is unwilling he is quickly
convinced when they state he “is afraid” and when they question if he is “a man”. This
shows how the situation of great stress and pressure caused by the war makes Ugwu
easier to pressure into doing this, weakening his personality and ultimately doing
something that we would have never expected from him. We even see how he clearly
regrets this as he has a “self-loathing release” showing us how he hates himself for doing
such a thing and how this rape is something completely different from Ugwu’s pre-war
nature. This emphasizes how the pressure and stress cause by the whole war situation
weaken and affect everyone changing the way they react to things and bringing around a
lot of suffering leading to violent acts such as the rape. After this rape Ugwu is never the
same for the rest of the book and this shows us how the nature and brutality of war deeply
affect people changing them permanently and beyond recognition

Chapter 33 - Kainene’s disappearance

This chapter opens to Kainene discussing the possibility of crossing the border to trade
across enemy line. She wants to go to Ninth Mile and buy anything she can. Kainene
leaves early in the morning and throughout the remaining of this chapter the reader is
informed about the events following, seen only from Richard’s point of view, by limiting the
amount of information given to the reader. Adichie creates suspense and tension because
we are never told whether Kainen survives the war or not. The chapter begins with the
closest image there is to perfection and happiness in a long time, and this creates contrast
with Kainene's disappearance given that we as readers grow accustomed to this ordinary
and calm conversations, we get the impression that the tough and dangerous part of the
war is over, only to be proven otherwise by Adichie."Richard sat next to Kainene and
rubbed her shoulder as she laughed at something Olanna was saying." It is the lightness
created by this simple and carefully crafted sentences that permit the reader to evoke an
image that closely resembles the beginning of the novel, and which allows the drastic
change that is about to come to contrast greatly with previous events. The chapter closes
with Richard breaking down which creates a foreboding effect that allows the reader to
understand the direction which the events have begun to take. His reaction to Kainene's
disappearance also contrasts drastically with Olanna's who hums under her breath and
tries to remain strong, in her attempt to deny what seems to be reality. "Why are you
crying?, Kainene is just stuck on the other side for a few days". Not only is the reader
aware that is what Olanna, as Kainene's twin sister wants to believe, but also enhances
the idea of no closure and loose strings given that we are never told whether her sister is
in fact alive or not.

Kainene´s disappearance is of major importance in the plot and development of the novel
given that she is one of the strongest characters and the least expected to die. She never
seemed to face the same struggles as the rest of the characters and even though by the
end she has a greater amount of contact with the people affected by war, she had never
encountered it directly . The way in which the chapter unfolds is also quite characteristic of
the novel, Adichie only allows the reader to know a certain amount of information and this
resembles the actual situation the citizens encountered and the uncertainty they had to
face. By allowing the strongest character to disappear, Adichie enhances the idea that war
can reach anybody, independent of their racial or economic differences. She also changes
our opinion on the characters as we read about a much more vulnerable group of people
who lack leadership and strength. Also, her disappearance affects Richard's development
as a character given that it gives him a reason to be Nigerian, a stronger link to the nation.
His struggle ends because war has reached him too, affected him even though it wasn't
supposed to. What is most interesting about this scene is how from here on there is barely
any closure on that aspect, the readers are not told whether Kainene survives the war or
not and this creates discomfort during the war, effectively portraying the reality people had
to face during and after the Biafra-Nigerian war, and how this changed them.
Chapter Summary and Analysis

 Chapter 6:
Summary: Richard is having dinner at Odenigbo’s and Olanna’s house, being
subject to constant bullying from the people sat around the table for being English.
There is a rather notorious clash between Okeoma and Richard, where the first
despises the second for no apparent reason. Richard then heads back home
where Harrison awaits, ready to pack everything for Richard’s leave to visit
Kainene to Port Harcourt. We are then told that they are going to Madu’s house for
dinner (appointment which gets cancelled), before we skip to the next morning
where Richard suddenly decides to go for a walk. When he gets back, he and
Kainene talk about what was wrong with him, before we learn a bit more about
Richard’s past and get another fragment of “The World Was Silent When We Died”.

Analysis: The chapter in itself is not of vital importance to the novel, but it does give
the reader a deeper insight into Richard’s past and how misplaced he is in the
society around him. Okeoma’s disdain only adds to the fact that he, as an
Englishman, does not belong anywhere near those people, even if he tries hard to
do so.

 Chapter 8:
Summary: Olanna travels to Kano to visit her Aunty Ifeka’s family, where they chat
and create a light-hearted atmosphere around the beginning of the chapter. We
learn that something happened between Olanna and Kainene, although we don’t
know what exactly. We then observe how the coup had transformed the people
with the way they so cruelly speak about how the Sardauna was killed. Olanna,
Arize and Baby travel to Lagos, where they visit the market and buy a dress for
Arize’s baby. At the market, they experience how the Igbo are being prosecuted,
and start speaking fluent Yoruba to get out of the market.

Analysis: In this chapter a more aggressive side of the coup that up until then
seemed so distant is thrown upon the reader, with a violent harassment to an Igbo
man in the market, right before Olanna’s eyes. The last line of the chapter reflects
how deeply everyone is stricken, and is, in some way, foreshadowing to what is
about to happen to all of them. Fear is just around the corner.

 Chapter 9:
Summary: In chapter nine we are led into one of Kainene’s father’s parties, where
Richard and herself meet up with Madu and other new authorities of the called
“new regime”. Madu and Richard clash once more, this time rendering around a
second coup Madu believes won’t happen but Richard insists it will. We learn that
the second coup happened a week after the party, and that Richard was right,
against all odds. We are also told that he is leaving Nigeria to go back to London
for his cousin Martin’s wedding, just when Lagos had fallen into chaos and Madu
was missing. Two weeks later, Madu shows up to Kainene’s house, telling them
about how he managed to escape, and giving the reader a more personal insight
into what is actually going on in the coup.

Analysis: This chapter gives the reader a personal view of the coup, from someone
who was actually in it, and survived. We also get an insight into the violence that
had been carried on, the aggressive ways and cruel manners in which the northern
 soldiers would treat the Igbo soldiers. For the first time in the novel, we actually see
what kind of conflict is going on around the main characters.

 Chapter 10
Summary: Odenigbo was visited by Miss Adebayo, who was bearer of alarming
news about Kano, the place where Olanna was currently in. Ugwu and Baby are in
the house with Odenigbo when two men come into the house with the news that
the massacres had started in Kano. Ugwu is ordered to go and help the people that
managed to run away from the killing at the train station, with bread and tea. There
we catch a glimpse of the defeated, limping, bloody people descending from the
trains, and we finally come to terms with the fact that the war has begun with all its
might.

Analysis: Although this is a very short chapter, we become aware of many things
that surround the characters. The fact that the war is something very real, and not
only affects the soldiers, the fact that Olanna is potentially dead by the time Miss
Adebayo storms into the house… all of those are things that force the reader to
realize what is going on, and to sympathize with the characters that are going
through every tragedy. We are forced to feel their pain, as it is growing nearer by
the minute.

 Chapter 11
Summary: At the beginning of the chapter we learn that Olanna is safe and sound
in Mohammed’s house, drinking tea as if nothing is happening. When she is finally
evacuated from the house in a tumultuous hurry, she finds that her family living in
Kano has been violently murdered by Muslims, with who they meet later down the
road. Olanna is forced to hide, but they make it to the train station, where she flees
back to Odenigbo’s house. In the train, a woman with a calabash shows Olanna
the head of her daughter in a twisted, sickening last paragraph.

Analysis: This chapter is a few pages long, but it the most intense chapter readers
get up until then. Death is everywhere, and drawing nearer with Olanna’s family
being brutally murdered. The war has reached unbelievable limits, and readers get
the feeling that it’ll only get worse from then. This chapter also contrasts profoundly
with the last time we see Arize and her family, the light-heartedness and laughter
stamped on by the brutality of murder and the viciousness of the way Olanna found
her family before she left.

 Chapter 31:
Summary: At the beginning of the chapter we read about Olanna’s constant fear of
finding Ugwu dead, right before Mohammed’s letter reaches her, bringing a sudden
comparison between what Olanna was living and what easy life he was going
through, enough to talk about his polo game in the letter. Mama Oji warns Olanna
about Alice spending too much time with Odenigbo, fact we later confirm when a
member of Alice’s family brings the news that every single one of their family has
been murdered. News that Ugwu has been killed arrive to Olanna, and a funerary
ceremony is served in his honour. Alice leaves the compound before there is a
shelling nearby, forcing everyone to leave and taking Olanna, Baby and Odenigbo
 to Kainene’s house, where they stay for the rest of the chapter. Odenigbo and
Olanna receive the news that Okeoma has been killed.

Analysis: Even when this is a long chapter, not many situations arise that need any
deep analysis. The supposed death of Ugwu is somewhat rushed, as if Adichie
didn’t want us to believe that he is actually dead, as if he is still alive but the
characters do not know so. The rest of the chapter whirls around Olanna’s
emotions and feelings, making it a rather feminine narration and quick
explanations. The chapter jumps from one topic to another, as if it were literally
Olanna’s mind, pulling the reader closer to the situation Olanna and her family are
in.

 Chapter 32:
Summary: We learn that Ugwu is in fact alive and in a soldier’s hospital of sorts.
Father Damian finds him after a while, recognizing him as Ugwu did the same.
Richard appears later to take him to a decent hospital where he is kept for a while.
Olanna and Odenigbo visit him before taking him back to the refugee camp, where
Ugwu begins to help out as he recovers from his wounds. Coincidentally, we see
how he begins to write about what he is living, what is going on around him, after
Richard tells him the name of the book. There is an attack at the end of the
chapter, and a burial of a kid that died from Kwashiorkor. Ugwu keeps reliving the
experience with the girl at the bar, hating himself for doing it, regretting his actions
profoundly.

Analysis: The fact that Ugwu starts writing about what is going on in the war gives
the reader an idea of what could happen later with the book, but nothing concrete.
The constant reminder of the girl at the bar mirrors a permanent feeling of disgrace,
of regret, of what the war can do to a young man. But later, when he rescues the
child and the mother from being shot, he is somehow redeeming himself for what
he did, little by little by little.

 Chapter 33:
Summary: Kainene is planning on trading across enemy lines the day before a
soldier is caught stealing from the crops the people had planted. That occurred the
same morning Kainene met up with Inatimi to leave for the enemy lines. When
Kainene is not back by the expected hour, Richard commences to ask around the
camp, but no one has seen her. In fact, everyone says the same thing: I haven’t
seen her, but I’ll expect she’ll be back soon. When two days passed, Richard and
Olanna took the car and drove to Ninth Mile to search for her, on the verge of
preoccupation. Olanna can’t seem to accept the disappearance of her sister.

Analysis: This chapter goes by in quite a slow manner, the build-up of tension quite
gradual and easy to follow. When Richard begins to worry, when he is back and
she is not, we immediately know what is going to happen. Maybe we don’t know for
certain, but it is quite easy to guess what will happen to Kainene, who repeatedly
said she would be back before long. The contrast between the start of the chapter
and the end is quite strong, beginning as it does with a light-hearted conversational
atmosphere and ending suddenly in what seems to be a clear tragedy.

 Chapter 34:
Summary: A week had gone by and still Kainene had not returned. Rumours are
spreading that His Excellency had not left Biafra in search of peace but to run away
from the war. The various attempts at finding Kainene had failed, and the war was
apparently over, according to a woman announcing it in the camps at to the radio.
Olanna’s cousin, Odinchezo appears briefly in the chapter, to offer some help to his
cousin who is in desperate need of Kainene. The roads open again and their
voyage to Nsukka begins, the war lost to Nigeria. They get stopped by an officer on
the road, who forces Ugwu, Olanna and Odenigbo to carry some logs to humiliate
them and to show who had won the war.

Analysis: The violence displayed at the end of the chapter is rather unexpected and
forced, since out of the blue an officer begins to bully them for no apparent reason.
Olanna’s blind hope that Kainene will come back becomes rather insistent, as if the
readers all knew that she is not coming back, yet Olanna manages to keep thinking
that she will. This chapter has the strange feeling about it that, even though the war
is over, the pain is not.