Homegoing: Part 1: Abena Summary & Analysis

Abena makes the journey back to her village with new seeds in hand. She thinks again about how old she is: an unmarried twenty-five-year-old woman is unheard of. But none of the men in her village want to take a chance with “Unlucky’s” (James’s) daughter. Her father’s crops had never grown, and even her childhood best friend, Ohene Nyarko, would not take her as his second wife because she is not worth the bride price.

Abena brings the seeds to James, and announces that she would like to visit Kumasi. She says that she wants to visit people from other villages and the old palace of the Asante king. He asks her why she wants to do that; she says that she is an Asante, and that he has kept her like a prisoner with his bad luck. James slaps her and walks out of their hut.

Abena’s mother, Akosua, tells her to sit. She explains that they are not welcome in Kumasi because she had defied her parents to marry James, who had wanted to live a life for himself instead of a life chosen for him. When her mother leaves the hut, Abena resolves to do the same and go to Kumasi.

That evening, Abena slips away to Ohene Nyarko’s compound. She asks his wife, Mefia, where he is, and Mefia rolls her eyes and directs her. When Abena goes to Ohene, she says that his wife hates her. Ohene says that Mefia thinks that he is still sleeping with Abena.

Abena cringes, thinking of their youth, when Ohene had shown her his penis, and she had demanded that he lie on top of her. Ohene had been mortified, saying that they could not do that until their marriage ceremony. But eventually she had been able to convince him, and they had had fast, pleasureless sex.

Abena asks Ohene to take her to Kumasi. He says that he must tend to his farm; he cannot marry her if his yams don’t grow. Abena says that he will never marry her, starting to cry. Ohene pulls her to him, agreeing to take her to Kumasi.

At the end of that week, Abena and Ohene go to Kumasi. Abena is amazed at the size of the compounds. She asks to see the Golden Stool, which contains the soul of the Asante nation. No one was allowed to sit on it, not even the king himself. Abena is moved, seeing it with her own eyes.

Abena and Ohene continue to walk through the village, and they part ways when Ohene wants to go buy new farming tools. Abena is stopped by a man asking to talk about Christianity and offering to show her the work that he is doing. Abena is curious and follows him. The man takes her to the Missionary, the first white man that Abena has ever seen. She starts to leave, thinking that white men only cause trouble. As she leaves, the first man says that they are trying to build churches, and he says to find them if she ever needs them.

Abena meets up with Ohene again, telling him that she has just seen a white man. Ohene spits, saying that they should stay out of Asante. Abena thinks about James, who had explained to the men in their village where the captured prisoners of war are taken, even though the men didn’t know what the Castle is or what America is. Ohene says that they should go.

Ohene and Abena travel back to their village, stopping to rest even though Abena wants to continue. He tells her that it is another day’s journey, and calls her darling. Abena asks him not to call her that, because he won’t marry her. Ohene says that he will marry her after his next big harvest. He asks her to be patient. Abena begins to cry, and he wipes away her tears.

Abena and Ohene start to kiss before undressing and lying down together. She thinks about the last time that he had touched her in her parents’ hut, but soon she quickly forgets everything else but him. When they finish, she lays her head on his chest.

As they rest, Abena thinks about when she was five and had been watering James’s farm. When the plants had died despite her best efforts, she had begun to cry and said that she would have brought more water. Her father had told her that she should bring more water next time but not cry for this time, that there should be no room for regret in life. Abena thinks that now, lying on Ohene’s chest, she regrets nothing.

That year, everyone in Abena’s village has a bad harvest, followed by another bad year. After that, there are four more years of bad harvests. People begin to starve. Even Ohene’s lands have turned barren, and so his promise to marry Abena has been set aside, but they continue to see each other.

The people begin to suspect that there is a witch among them, and when a woman in the village sees Ohene walking back from Abena’s hut to his own, she accuses Abena of spreading evil. The elders  gather and decide that Abena will be removed from the village when she conceives a child or after seven bad years. If a good harvest comes before then, they will let her stay.

Abena visits Ohene’s hut on the third day of the sixth bad year. He is going to Osu, saying that someone has brought over a new plant that will grow well. Abena worries that they will kick her out. He tells her that the village will have to deal with him when he gets back. The two make love quickly that day, and then Ohene leaves. Abena returns home, where James and Akosua barely talk to her. Abena knows she has shamed them, and their only solace is that Abena has not yet conceived a child.

Ohene Nyarko returns a week later with cocoa seeds. Within months, his trees sprout with gold and green fruit. At the harvest, they crack open the fruit and find pulpy beans. They are disappointed, but Ohene says he will go to the market the next day to sell what he can.

Ohene returns three days later with four goats and sacks of yams and nuts, palm oil, and palm wine. The villagers throw a huge celebration. In the middle of the celebration, Abena approaches him, wanting to tell him that she is four days late. But when she reaches out to touch his shoulder, he moves away and tells her not to make a scene. She goes back to her hut, lying down with her hand on her stomach.

The next day, the elders announce that Abena can stay in the village, and Ohene can marry her, but Abena knows that he will not marry her. Ohene explains to them that he had to promise a man in Osu to marry his daughter in exchange for the plants. Abena will have to wait until the following season.

Abena resolves to leave. Before she goes, James gives her Effia’s black stone necklace. He tells her that his father had been a slaver, but that he wanted to escape the dishonor that he felt doing his family’s work. He offers the stone to her so that it might serve her well, as it had served him. Abena takes it and hugs her parents. The next day she sets out for Kumasi and goes to the Missionary’s church.