Themes: Vanity

At the beginning of the play, Sidi is established as a headstrong and beautiful young woman. Sidi appears confident from the start, but after observing herself from the point of view of an outsider to her village, her confidence transforms into conceit.

When Sidi sees her photographs in the outsider’s magazine, she becomes fixated on her appearance and her potential power as the jewel of Ilujinle. Sidi grows reckless, distracted by her deepening...

Themes: Gender Roles

The residents of Ilujinle both adhere to traditional gender roles and challenge them at various points in the play. Sidi’s boldly confrontational nature and Sadiku’s untrustworthiness both violate traditional gender norms, which require women to be deferential to men, but by the end of the play, they learn to live according to tradition. Simultaneously, while Baroka’s position as leader of the village means he has a responsibility to his...

Themes: Tradition versus Progress

Each major character in the play expresses an opinion about the notion of progress. Lakunle is the only character who supports modernization, but he is not a credible source of information. Other characters in the play mock him, and he is unaware of his own displays of ignorance. That Lakunle possesses a provincial mindset regarding gender norms suggests that his version of progress is incomplete or misguided. Lakunle lacks self-awareness and...

Themes: The Cunning Nature of Powerful Leaders

Baroka's trickery is a major theme in the play. He sets things up to achieve his ultimate goal of taking Sidi as his final wife. His wily nature shows why he is the respected leader of the village. He understands human nature enough to tell his wife that he is impotent and to swear her to secrecy, knowing that she'll tell tales to Sidi. This will lead Sidi to feel safe enough to be alone with him; once that happens, he knows that he can entice...

Themes: Modernization Versus Tradition

The village is a place where tradition rules. The play opens with Lakunle rejecting the traditional notion of paying Sidi's bride price. He doesn't believe that he should have to; he's a modern man who believes the village will catch up with his sensibilities soon. He even mocks Baroka for rejecting a plan that would modernize the village more with infrastructure. However, Baroka shows that tradition and modernization can both work as long as...

Themes: Beauty as a Virtue

Sidi knows that much of her value comes from her beauty. She is the jewel of her village. Her pictures were published in a magazine. She believes that is why Baroka has decided he wants to marry her. However, one thing that really helps her decide on Baroka is that he sees her as more than just beautiful. He says that he thought of her as beautiful but empty-headed; eventually, he came to see that there was more to her. Lakunle, on the other...