In the Shadow of War Questions and Answers
In the Shadow of War
What is the rising action in "In the Shadow of War"?
The rising action is everything that occurs after the introduction (or exposition) of a story and before its climax. In "In the Shadow of War," the climax occurs at the point the soldiers kill the...
In the Shadow of War
What does the veiled woman symbolize in Ben Okri's "In the Shadow of War"?
In Ben Okri’s story “In the Shadow of War,” the veiled woman represents the contradictions of resistance to power. These contradictions include the responsibility to nourish the less fortunate...
In the Shadow of War
What are Omovo’s feelings toward the soldiers in "In the Shadow of War"?
Omovo's feelings toward the soldiers evolve through the course of the story. His father has instructed him to refrain from listening to the radio (which offers news and details about the war)....
In the Shadow of War
Why does Omovo follow the soldiers tracking the veiled woman?
I think Omovo wants to protect the old woman. He denies having seen her when questioned by the soldiers. He refuses the money offered to him to spy on her. He seems to understand that telling the...
In the Shadow of War
How do the soldiers treat the woman they find in "In the Shadow of War"?
It is clear that when the soldiers find the woman they have called a "spy" that they are very violent and threatening. Remember this is narrated using the third person limited point of view -...
In the Shadow of War
What did the woman bring to the cave dwellers in In the Shadow of War?
Omovo has started noticing a strange woman wearing a black veil who walks past his house every day. Suitably intrigued, he tries to find out more about her. From a soldier he's able to glean the...