Inter-generational Liberation in

Ama Ata Aidoo’s ‘The Girl Who Can’

‘The Girl Who Can’ is a short story by Ama Ata Aidoo. Set in a village in Ghana, the
story takes us into the world of Adjoa, the seven-year-old protagonist, who lives with her
mother (Maami) and grandmother (Nana). Set in a household comprising only of three
generations of women, the grandmother-the mother- the daughter, ‘The Girl Who Can’
shows how the liberation of the girl child can help liberate older generations and the
entire community.

In their small family of three, Adjoa and her grandmother seem to be active agents who
often find themselves at odds with each other with Nana acting as the primary authority
figure while Adjoa struggles to make herself heard. Maami, Adjoa’s mother, is mostly a
silent figure, however, whenever she does speak up, it is in support of Adjoa. It was
because of Maami’s insistence that Adjoa goes to school even though Nana wasn’t
originally in support of the decision. It is this decision to send Adjoa to school that sets
in motion a series of events that provide hope and promise the liberation of their family
from the deeply entrenched patriarchal values.

It is significant that their family contains no male member. One would like to believe that
in the absence of a man, a patriarch, their home space would be free of patriarchy.
However, the fact that the patriarchal belief system is deeply ingrained in society, that it
can be found in every member of a community including women, is made clear through
Nana. The head of this family of women is guided very much by a patriarchal ideological
framework as is made evident by her gaze towards Adjoa’s legs. A common bone of
contention in the family are Adjoa’s legs which Nana finds inadequate and too thin. She
says, “… if any woman decides to come into this world with all of her two legs, then she
should select legs that have meat on them: with good calves. because you are sure
such legs would support solid hips. And a woman must have solid hips to be able to
have children.”. Thus for Nana, the sole objective of a woman is to give birth. She
objectifies her own granddaughter and according to her, her legs are not strong enough
for motherhood. In fact, when Nana agrees to send Adjoa to school, she says, “Ah,
maybe with legs like hers, she might as well go to school.”. This further shows that the
primary purpose of a woman, according to Nana, is to give birth. Since she thinks that
Adjoa has an inadequate body type for carrying a child, Nana is willing to send her to
school as a plan-B. Her education, according to Nana, is not a priority but something to
be sought in the absence of the other better option.

Nana’s outlook is soon changed when the legs that she so criticised become the source
of Adjoa’s athletic talents. For Adjoa, running appears to be no big deal until she is
selected to run for the junior section of her school in the district games. When she
shares the news with her family they don’t believe it at first and Nana goes to “ask into it
properly”. Of course, she finds out that the news is indeed true, and is (surprisingly)
pleased by it. This is where the first change in Nana’s view is noticeable. Adjoa
observes, “In any case, since the first time they heard the news, I have often caught
Nana staring at my legs with a strange look on her face … All this week, she has been
washing my school uniform herself. That is a big surprise. And she didn’t stop at that,
she even went to Mr Mensah’s house and borrowed his charcoal pressing iron each
time, came back home with it, and ironed and ironed and ironed the uniform, until, if I
had been the uniform, I would have said aloud that I had had enough.”. The newfound
passion for taking care of her granddaughter’s school uniform is symbolic of Nana’s
desire to help Adjoa in the sphere of education.

When Adjoa wins, Nana “carried the gleaming cup on her back. Like they do with
babies, and other very precious things.”. By carrying the trophy like a baby is carried,
Nana is symbolically replacing the baby she saw as the future of women with other,
newer, possibilities. The trophy becomes a stand-in for other futures available to women
that expand the horizon of their existence beyond motherhood and the story highlights
the importance of schooling and education in realising these horizons. It is also
significant that it’s not just Adjoa who benefits from this, but so does her grandmother
who is able to break free from her patriarchal worldview. The upliftment and liberation of
Adjoa thus becomes an inter-generational liberation.
Write a short note on the character of Adjoa.

Ans: If we analyse the character of Adjoa, we shall get at least four characteristics
which perhaps may be based on her psychological state. First of all, there are some
monologues of Adjoa in the short story and these show that she is a real thinker and
she thinks of her physical problem. In her age she has shown all of us that she is
completely different from the other children not only because of her physical state but
because of her mental state also. She is confused on how the elders know and accept
her opinions. She may be considered as an analytical girl.

If we go through the short story in detail, we shall notice that Adjoa always remembers
what the reactions she will get if she says something to the elders. From all types of
reactions, she can make a conclusion and this shows that she is an analytical girl. Adjoa
is a highly sensitive girl. Adjoa is not so communicative because she has a sense of
fear in herself. The trauma-like situation absorbs her by the words of Nana spoken to
her almost all the time and by the neighbours who laughed at her unnatural physical
appearance.

So, she decides firmly to prove herself in the field of action and finally she has become
able to get her achievement. The character of Adjoa is a symbol of inspiration,
determination and resolution to all of us. She is an amazing little girl who proves her
ability facing all the hardships in her life. Finally, Adjoa’s creation is a great
characterization on the part of Ama Ata Aidoo.
Discuss the theme of the story ‘The Girl who can’.’

Ans: In the short story ‘The Girl Who Can’ by Ama Ata Aidoo, we find the theme of
conflict, innocence, liberty, insecurity, family-connection and pride. It is adapted from
her collection of the same name and the story is narrated in the first person by a young
seven years old girl. At the end of the short story, the readers realise that the writer,
Aidoo perhaps is going to explore the theme of conflict. Nana and Maami often make
arguments about two things. The narrator’s skinny legs and the narrator’s father.

It is as if Nana has a strong sense of dislike towards Maami when it happens. She does
not agree with the fact that the narrator will have the ability to be the mother of children
because of her thin legs and those legs will not support the hips that Nana believes are
needed for a woman to carry a child. This may be significant because in various ways
Nana may not only criticise the narrator but she might also be criticising Maami and
blaming her for the fact that the narrator as well as the protagonist has such skinny legs.
As to Nana’s judgement on the narrator’s father, we, the readers, can only think that
again Nana is criticising Maami for her choice of husband. It may convey some readers
to suggest that there is a conflict between both Nana and Maami and in this created
conflict, Nana always acquires the upper hand possibly due to the insecurities that
Maami may feel due to the criticism she gets from Nana.

It is also interesting to observe that the narrator herself does not feel insecure about
how her legs look rather she is more inquisitive as to whether or not she will be able to
have children. Even though she will have to grow up sufficiently and is only seven years
of age. The narrator’s curiosity may be important as it suggests that she is still
somewhat innocent as one would expect a seven years old child to be. It is also
noticeable that at times the narrator says things which are deemed inappropriate by
Nana.

Again this may suggest that the narrator is innocent and is merely trying to understand
the world around her. It is also interesting that the narrator is so modest about her
achievements when it comes to running. It is as though her abilities in running are
normal for the narrator. She doesn’t react anything that Nana says about her legs by
telling Nana that she has legs that are suitable for running and that she is proud of
herself. If anything the narrator again acts modestly, it is both Nana and Maami who
consider what the narrator has done to be an achievement and something in which they
are proud of the narrator. The narrator’s running also connects her with Nana. Who
walks to school with the narrator and carries the winning cup home on her back. From
going to criticise the narrator Nana is now full of pride. It is as though the narrator has
fulfilled her potential without the hindrance of Nana’s traditional beliefs when it comes to
the quality of a girl or woman’s legs.

If anything the narrator’s abilities when it comes to run free the narrator from the
traditional outlook that Nana has when it comes to the abilities of a woman to give birth.
This might be important as Aidoo wants to suggest that the narrator may not necessarily
carry on the traditions that Nana has lived her life by. With freedom comes choices and
the narrator may choose later on in life to take a different path to Nana and Maami. She
is after all physically different in Nana’s eyes so it would not be too much to suggest that
mentally the narrator might also be different to Nana and Maami.

What is also interesting about the story is the fact that the only real freedom that the
narrator has comes with her running and as mentioned the narrator is modest about her
abilities. She does not consider herself to be more important than others just because
she keeps winning races. If anything the narrator has an ability which the reader is left
hoping is nurtured by Nana and Maami. That both women continue to be proud of the
narrator’s achievements and that they might accept that the narrator’s life may turn out
differently to how their life has turned out. It is as though the narrator has not only
freedom and choices but she may be independent too even if she is still a very young
girl. Despite all the criticism that is thrown in the narrator’s direction none of it sticks to
the narrator.

She may very well continue her life focusing on her running and the fact that she has
the long, skinny legs of a runner. Something that is beneficial to the narrator and as
such leaves the reader left with a sense of optimism for the narrator’s future. The
narrator has choices that the other two important members of the family-(Nana and
Maami) may never have had.

Discuss the conflict issues presented in the story.

Ans: This story tells us about the suffer and the struggle of Ghananian women to find
their place in society. The story also tells us about a little girl who should struggle to fulfil
the expectation from her family and society.

Ama Ata Aidoo or Christina Ama Aidoo was born on March, 23 1942 in Abeadzi
Kinekor, near Saltpond, Gold coast, now Ghana. Aidoo is a Ghananian author. Aidoo
grew up in a royal household with a clear sense of African traditions. She studied at the
University of Ghana and became a writer at Stanford and Harvard University in the US.
As a writer her works are mostly focuses on the deception of the role of African woman
in modern society and African diasporic identity. She wrote many liter. ary works and
one of them is The Girl Who Can and Other Stories written in 1999. Biography of Ama
Ata Aidoo The Girl Who Can is a story about a seven years old Adjoa, who does not
good at communication.

She was born with long and thin legs. She should see her mother and her grandmother,
Nana, arguing over her imperfect legs everyday. Nana always complains to Adjoa
mother for her having a daughter with long and thin legs. In Ghana the women suffer
due to the patriarchy, having a son is much better than having a daughter. But, in the
end Adjoa can prove to her grandmother that even if she has imperfect legs, she can
achieve something great. Summary of the story In this story there are two types of
conflicts, that are internal conflict and external conflict.

(a) The internal conflict: The internal conflict happens between Adjoa with herself, she
has a difficulty in communication so it is hard for her to speak up her mind to her
grandmother. She does not know whether she should keep quiet and not to say any of
thing that come into her mind, or say them and get laughed at. She is just a seven years
old girl with many questions in her head but she cannot speak them up to find the
answer. She want to be heard to encourage her to express her thought too often.
Discussion

(b) The external conflict: The external conflict happen between her self and the
expectation that come from her grandmother and how she find herself a place in the
society. Adjoa was born with long and thin legs, which uncommon and bad for women in
that society. Her grand mother always complains about it everyday to Adjoa’s mother,
they often have arguing over it. Her grandmother, Nana, expected Adjoa’s mother to
have a son but the reality Adjoa’s mother is giving birth to a daughter, who will end up to
stay at home and take care of the children.

Nana always states that a woman should have a big legs with good calves to support
solid hips. And a woman should have a solid hips to be able to have children. From
here, it can be concluded that Nana is worrying about Adjoa future tat she will not ‘le to
give birth and have children. Adjoa should struggle to prove that she can do something
good with her legs. She has won every race she ran for her school and Nana says that
she does not care of such things, but actually Nana is very proud of Adjoa, it can
showed from how she treats Adjoa after the race, she is ironing Adjoa’s uniform. The
conflicts that happen in the story are mostly from the expectation of society. The society
and stereotype have a big role to build up the conflict in a person. The women in Ghana
is till struggling to find their place in society.

Character Sketch of Adjoa

The novel “The Girl Who Can” by Ama Ata Aidoo introduces the character of Adjoa, a
young girl who defies traditional gender roles and societal expectations in Ghana.
Through her actions and experiences, Adjoa represents a strong and determined
individual who challenges the status quo and fights for her rights and beliefs.

Adjoa is very intelligent and ambitious. She is determined to pursue her education and
dreams, despite the obstacles that come her way. When her mother tries to force her to
get married, Adjoa stands her ground and refuses to give up her education. She knows
that education is the key to her future and she is not willing to sacrifice it for anything.

Adjoa is introduced as a smart and inquisitive young girl who is eager to learn and
explore the world around her. She is not content with the limited opportunities available
to girls in her community and is determined to pursue her dreams of education and
independence. Adjoa is shown to be confident in her abilities, and she is not afraid to
speak up for herself and others who are marginalized or oppressed.

One of the defining characteristics of Adjoa is her willingness to stand up against

injustice and discrimination. She is not afraid to challenge authority figures or speak out
against societal norms that she views as unjust or oppressive. This is exemplified in the
novel when Adjoa confronts her school’s headmaster, who refuses to allow girls to
participate in sports activities. Adjoa refuses to accept this discriminatory policy and
uses her intelligence and persuasive abilities to convince the headmaster to change his
mind.

In addition to her courage and determination, Adjoa is also portrayed as a

compassionate and empathetic person. She cares deeply about the well-being of others
and is always willing to lend a helping hand. This is demonstrated in the novel when
Adjoa befriends a disabled boy in her community and helps him to learn how to read
and write. Adjoa’s kindness and empathy make her a beloved member of her
community, and many people turn to her for advice and support.

Adjoa’s strong will and determination are further highlighted when she decides to
pursue her dream of attending school in the United States. Despite facing numerous
obstacles, including financial difficulties and societal expectations that girls should not
pursue higher education, Adjoa remains steadfast in her goal. She works hard and
saves money to pay for her own education, and ultimately succeeds in achieving her
dream.

Throughout the novel, Adjoa is shown to be a feminist and advocate for women’s rights.
She recognizes the inequalities and injustices faced by women in her community and
works to challenge and overcome them. Adjoa’s feminism is not limited to fighting for
herself but extends to empowering and uplifting other women as well. She is a role
model for other girls and women in her community, and her actions inspire others to
pursue their dreams and stand up against discrimination and oppression.

Furthermore, Adjoa is a very caring and compassionate person. She is always looking
out for others and trying to help them in any way she can. When her mother falls ill,
Adjoa takes care of her and tries to make her feel better. When her friend is in trouble,
Adjoa is always there to offer her support and advice.

In addition, Adjoa is very resilient. She faces a lot of challenges throughout the book,
but she never gives up. She is determined to overcome any obstacles that come her
way and to achieve her goals. Even when things seem impossible, Adjoa never loses
hope.
In conclusion, Adjoa is a complex and multifaceted character who embodies strength,
courage, compassion, and determination. Her unwavering commitment to challenging
injustice and fighting for her dreams and beliefs make her a remarkable character and a
true inspiration. Through her experiences, Adjoa teaches us the importance of standing
up for what we believe in, pursuing our dreams, and fighting for justice and equality for
all.