Saturday, July 27, 2019

Where is the climax in Second-Class Citizen?

In Buchi Emecheta's novel, Second-Class Citizen, Adah dreams of moving to the United Kingdom as a little girl. When she is old enough to work, she finds a job that pays well, and which guarantees her as a suitable bride. She marries an ambitious and hardworking man named Francis, who eventually ends up going to the United Kingdom to study for several years. When Adah asks Francis and his family's permission to relocate her and the children to the UK, Francis obliges, although hesitantly.
One could view Adah's dream of going to the United Kingdom finally coming true as the climax of the story. However, it is somewhat short-lived, as it is revealed that Francis becomes abusive and cold towards her when Adah decides to pursue a career as a writer. Her decision to become a writer could be considered the climax as well, because, despite suffering abuse from her husband, she has broken the anachronistic structure of marital control and pursues another dream of hers.

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