His Only Wife

Because His Only Wife is set in Ghana, the conventions, expectations, and norms of modern Ghanaian society define the protagonist Afi’s narrative account. Afi’s conflicts throughout the novel are inspired by her social class and her family’s traditions. In Medie’s essay found at the back of the source text, “Writing Afi,” Medie addresses the “economic dimension to the decisions that many [Ghanaian] women” like Afi are compelled to make when it comes to marriage (284). Traditional Ghanaian culture, which is deeply patriarchal, prioritizes the family over the individual and men over women. Women are expected to satisfy their husbands and are often held responsible for men’s actions, such as their infidelity. Afi agrees to marry Elikem because doing so will deliver her mother from her dependent social circumstances by repaying her family’s debt to Eli’s mother, Aunty Faustina Ganyo, which they contracted due to Afi’s father’s actions. The only way for Afi to satisfy her family and create a more stable life for herself is to abide by prescribed “familial obligations and community expectations” (284). Aunty pushes for the marriage because she sees Afi as a way to end her son’s relationship with a woman she does not approve of. Therefore, Afi’s socio-cultural position as a young, economically disadvantaged woman dictates her choices throughout the early chapters of the novel.

Throughout His Only Wife, Afi increasingly resists the norms of her modern society. Although she “wants a better life for herself and her mother,” she begins to buck at the “barriers to this better life” (285). She not only pursues her own career path but refuses to accept her husband’s relationship with Muna. She does not want her life to be defined by her society’s “notions of womanhood” or what it means to be “a good wife in Ghana” (285), both of which demand that she sacrifice her needs, goals, and desires for her husband and family. Medie uses Afi’s character as a narrative device by which to question these social and cultural practices. Afi is often headstrong and obstinate, traits that allow her to test her social context and subvert her cultural traditions.