In The Other Side of Truth, the protagonist, Sade, is caring. After her mother is killed, she cares for her younger brother, Femi. She is grieving, and "she wanted to lie down and make everything stop" (page 7). Instead, when her brother shows up at her door, she takes his hand and is present to comfort and lead him through this terrible episode in their lives. Sade is also perceptive. For example, she understands that her mother had been worried about the effects of her father's articles in Nigeria (page 8). Her mother had been worried what the results of his publishing his articles might be, but Sade understands that her mother continued to allow her father to write what he thought was right, in spite of the consequences.
In addition, Sade is clearly courageous at a level well beyond her years. She is able to negotiate the streets of London as a scared foreigner without much help from adults, and she navigates her way to a newscaster's office to tell her father's story in an effort to have her father released. Sade's courage is even more remarkable because she is fearful sometimes about speaking her mind. For example, after she speaks to the newscaster and is leaving his office, "she felt her heart quietly throb" (page 198). Speaking to this man and advocating for her father are not easy for her, but she does so anyway. She maintains hope that Mr. Seven O'Clock, as she calls the newscaster, will eventually tell her father's story and that the truth will set her father free, and her bravery is eventually rewarded when her father is released from detention in England.
No comments:
Post a Comment