Adeyemi First Third

The contrasts between the two main female characters within Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone was a point of interest to me throughout the first third of the book. The two main female characters, Zelie and Amari have grown up in two completely different environments and positions in society. Firstly, Zelie parallels Tia, the main character from Na Viro very closely. At first, she appears extremely brave and confident, fighting against the soldiers that come to Mama Agba’s and telling them “Maybe you should stop robbing us” (pg. 4) and bravely fights against Yemi to graduate with her staff. Just as Tia is strong and brave in The Academy, Zelie is very much alike. Just as Tia was driven by her desire to protect her sister, Zelie is by the desire to bring magic back to her people and fight oppression. However, as the story progresses, this façade that Zelie has created starts to fade. On the inside, she clearly holds a lot of fear, since through her extreme fear of having to join the stocks, because “if I'm forced into the stocks, I’ll never get out” (28). She fears having to leave her home and her family. When she is led to these moments of weakness, Zelie is brought back to her childhood as she says, “and like that, I'm six years old again, curled behind the fire in our Ibadan home” (79). Zelie wants to maintain her mask of strength and confidence and she fears having to display moments of weakness that she views as childish.  

In comparison, princess Amari is shown to be vulnerable many times and she does not hide her fear of even her own family. She is timid and sheltered, her brother described Amari as someone who “can barely speak up at a banquet. She lets Mother dictate her clothes. Amari’s never spent a day outside these walls” (46). However, Amari’s arc progresses in the opposite way of Zelie, as she starts to become more confident and seeks out answers about her world, as “She’s fled Lagos with the only thing that can bring our empire down” (46).  

Such differences between Zelie and Amari serve as a means for social commentary for Adeyemi. Zelie depicts a marginalized and oppressed member of society who must maintain a rigid mask of strength to survive. Amari, as a member of the royal family depicts privilege and someone who has led a life where toughness was not necessary. The contrast between these two characters and their experiences allows Adeyemi to face themes of oppression and inequality, but also reveals how two contrasting characters can unite to fight this oppression.