Chapter 9 Summary of Second Class Citizen
You’re about to get your Chapter 9 summary of Second Class Citizen. There are other chapter summaries of Second Class Citizen on this site. You can easily access the summaries of Chapters one up to chapter thirteen of this novel by Buchi Emecheta. Because I’ve got for you a complete compilation of the chapter-by-chapter summaries of Second Class Citizen right here.
A Bonus for You
In the process, I’ll be giving you some analyses of major incidents in Chapter 9 as well. This is to assist you in grasping the significance of the incidents in this important chapter of the novel. You will need these analyses for your essays on Second Class Citizen.
As you read deeper into this tutorial, you will discover, later, that the happenings in this chapter serve to prepare the ground for the conflicts that unfold in the remaining chapters, culminating in the breakup of the marriage between Adah and Francis.
In fact, by the end of Chapter Nine, Adah would have experienced enough to convince her that unless she stopped being the docile and respectful wife to Francis, she would end up putting herself and her children in grave danger.
Are you ready?
Okay, let’s dive in.
Highlights of Chapter 9 Summary
First, see below the vital areas I’ll be covering in this Chapter 9 summary of Second Class Citizen.
- The birth of baby Bubu
- Key incidents during Adah’s brief stay at the maternity ward of the University College Hospital
- Adah’s encounter with some interesting individuals – A woman of Adah’s mother’s age, the sleek young woman and her film-star-like husband, the surgeon, and the Greek woman.
- The embarrassing nightdress episode
- Further conflict with Francis
- Lessons Adah learns
- Adah’s rather silent and unfriendly departure from the hospital.
Title of Chapter 9 of Second Class Citizen
Chapter 9 of Second Class Citizen is titled “Learning the Rules”. This chapter is basically about the events that unfold in Adah’s life during her brief but eventful stay at the University College Hospital, London. And, truly, Adah has been able to learn a lot in the course of her stay there.
The Birth of Baby Bubu
If you will remember, our summary of Chapter Eight of Second Class Citizen ended with the pregnant Adah being rushed to the University College Hospital, London, in an ambulance.
In case you haven’t yet read the summary of chapter eight, you can find it here.
Let’s continue with our summary of Second Class Citizen Chapter 9.
The doctor has to operate on Adah to enable her to have a safe delivery. This third child, Bubu, is a boy. His birth is the most painful and most eventful so far for Adah. Not to talk of the kung-fu kicks he gave his mother while still in her womb.
In Chapter nine, we have additional information about this baby. He is
- Nicknamed Mohammad Ali by the people in the hospital ward
- Loud-mouthed
- Troublesome
- Refuses to be tamed
- Sleeps when all other babies are awake
- Cries when all other babies are asleep.
So in the day, Bubu was very popular; but at night, he was a terror. In the end, a special emergency nursery was fitted at the end of the corridor for him alone, and Adah was free to go and see him there. Bubu was given VIP treatment, right there in the hospital.
Buchi Emecheta – Second Class Citizen
Clearly, Bubu is a unique and interesting baby boy.
LIKELY QUESTION: Describe the birth of Bubu and show its significance.
SEE ALSO: How WAEC Examiners Set Their Questions – 12 Secrets You Need to Know.
Although the birth of Bubu turns out to be a near-death experience for Adah, she is nevertheless grateful for the people she met there.
For the first few days, when Adah was deciding whether it was worth struggling to hold on to this life, those women kept showing her many things. They seemed to be telling her to look around her, that there were still many beautiful things to be seen which she had not seen, that there were still several joys to be experienced which she had not yet experienced, that she was still young, that her whole life was still ahead of her.
Buchi Emecheta – Second Class Citizen
So, who are these women who help to save Adah’s life when she is clearly on the verge of death?
Next, in this Chapter 9 summary of Second Class Citizen, we want to briefly describe Adah’s encounter with the women at the University College Hospital.
They are her fellow patients in the hospital ward. We will also put in a word for the kind surgeon.
An Older Woman
This woman is about Adah’s mother’s age. The unique thing about her is this. She has had to wait for 17 years before getting pregnant for her husband. She has given birth safely to a baby boy.
Significance
This older woman’s experience sets Adah thinking. She cannot imagine having it easy with Francis and her in-laws if she had to wait this long to give birth to Titi, her first child. In such a situation, Francis would have easily turned himself into a Muslim just for the sake of taking another wife to give him an early child.
And even though Titi arrived that early, she was still not regarded much. Because she is a girl, the reception they gave her was a rather lukewarm one.
Suppose she had had to wait seventeen years for all that? She would have either died of psychological pressure, or another woman would have been brought for Francis. He would have declared himself a Moslem, for he was once a Moslem when he was younger.
Buchi Emecheta – Second Class Citizen
LIKELY QUESTIONS:
- Discuss cultural attitudes toward the female gender in Second Class Citizen.
- Consider the theme of feminism in Buchi Emecheta’s Second Class Citizen.
The Sleek Woman
I want you to take careful note of the sleek woman in this summary of Second Class Citizen Chapter 9.
This is a much younger woman. And “sleek woman” is how she is identified in the novel. She is the occupant of bed Number 11, which is next to Adah’s.
Here are the important details to remember about the sleek woman in Second Class Citizen chapter nine.
- She grew up as an adopted child. She never knew her parents.
- The sleek woman is mostly quiet
- But she loves to have a conversation with Adah all the time
- Hers is a complicated pregnancy. The baby is weeks overdue in coming.
- She is married to a handsome man whom Adah admires a lot.
- Before they got married, the sleek woman worked as a secretary to her “film-star-like husband”.
This man is
- Much older than his wife, the sleek woman.
- Tall
- Well-dressed
- Like Apollo, the Greek god
- Always visits his wife at any time during the day
- Showers his wife with lots of gifts and flowers.
In fact, Adah is impressed by his looks and manners. She thinks he is special.
Sadly, before Adah leaves the hospital, the sleek woman dies from complications resulting from her overdue pregnancy.
Significance
As Adah becomes very friendly with the sleek woman, she at the same time envies her. She envies her for having a man much older than her, but who treats her with so much care and respect.
The way the sleek woman receives love and attention from her handsome husband makes Adah wish Francis were able to do just a bit of that to her.
Seeing the overflowing love and respect poured on the other women, like the sleek woman and the older woman, by their husbands makes Adah turn emotional. Adah hardly cries. But what she sees with the sleek woman makes her shed tears for herself. Because she pities herself for having to endure a loveless marriage with Francis.
Not even her headmaster’s brutish corporal punishment nor the severe beating she suffered as a teenager from cousin Vincent’s koboko cane (for stealing a couple of shillings) made her cry. But now she does and is in no mood to stop.
But, being the interesting character that she is, Adah has another reason for not wanting to stop crying. This time, she is fighting hard to stop herself from pouring out, to the hearing of the whole world, all her frustrations with her marriage. Because this is exactly what her encounter with the sleek woman and her husband makes her feel like doing. Tell it all. Just to relieve her chest of all the burden of silent suffering.
She did not want to stop because she might be tempted to babble the truth to them. She might be tempted to tell them that for once in her whole life, she hated being what she was. Why was it she could never be loved as an individual, the way the sleek woman was being loved, for what she was, and not just because she could work and hand over the money like a docile child? Why was it that she was not blessed with a husband like that woman who had had to wait for seventeen years for the arrival of her baby son? The whole world seemed so unequal, so unfair.
Buchi Emecheta – Second Class Citizen
LIKELY QUESTIONS:
- Comment on the significance of Adah’s stay at the University College Hospital?
- What effect does the sleek woman have on Adah?
The Greek Woman
Note the following points about the Greek woman.
- She occupies bed Number 8
- Apart from being large (fat or big), she is also very loud.
- She looks gorgeous in her beautiful nightdress
- The Greek woman is a seamstress
- Unlike the rest, she already has a child of Titi’s age.
The Nightdress Episode
Our next stage in this Chapter 9 summary of Second Class Citizen takes us to another significant incident in the novel. It is all about the embarrassing situation Adah has to go through just because Francis cannot even give her a nightdress of her own. So she alone has to suffer the indignity of wearing, for days on end, a shirt-like gown that the hospital has provided for only temporary use by the ward inmates.
In fact, Adah’s embarrassment gets worse when a hesitant nurse comes to publicly tell Adah that she must get her own nightdress. Even the nurse feels uncomfortable performing this unpleasant duty of publicly embarrassing Adah. But she has no choice in the matter. So she does so and promptly disappears.
Mrs Obi, you must tell your husband, when he comes, to bring you your nightdress because, you see, you are not really meant to wear the hospital gown after your baby has been born. You only wear them in the labour-room. But we thought that maybe you did not know.
Buchi Emecheta – Second Class Citizen
Significance of the Nightdress Episode
Indeed, the nightdress incident, together with Adah’s other experiences during her stay at the University College Hospital, is significant in several ways
IT SAYS MORE ABOUT THE CHARACTER OF FRANCIS
The nightdress incident further demonstrates how irresponsible Francis has been as a husband. Not only has he failed to go out of his way and show Adah that he cares about her. But also, he shamelessly takes Adah’s hard-earned money for himself. This is at a time when Adah is visibly weak and cannot do much to earn an income.
More Troubles With Francis – The Lump Sum Money From Finchley Borough
We cannot end this Chapter 9 summary of Second Class Citizen without a reference to the heartless manner Francis keeps treating the lactating Adah.
Francis visits Adah and informs her about a lump sum that Adah’s employers at Finchley Borough have sent to her. They have paid her to help her take a well-deserved holiday after her confinement. She is also told to buy clothes for herself.
But Adah is in for the biggest shock of her life. Strangely, Francis, in his stupidity and wickedness, wants all Adah’s money for himself. Listen to him.
…you know that course Mr Ibiam said had helped him in passing his Cost and Works Accountancy examination? I can now afford to pay for it. It costs less than forty pounds and that would hasten my success. I am paying for the whole course on Monday, so that the whole lot can be sent to me as soon as possible.
Buchi Emecheta
Adah has always known Francis to be lazy and an idiot. But, still, his utterance at this moment shocks her. This time, she is fed up, so she vents all her frustrations on him, there and then. She tells him point blank to stop his stupidity and start being a responsible husband and a father for their children.
“I don’t care whether you become an Nkrumah or another Zik. I want a husband now, and a father for my children now!”
Buchi Emecheta
But it is obvious that Francis does not understand what it means to be a husband and a father. At his age, he still thinks that it is the responsibility of others, like his mother, to care for his children. And this is exactly what he says in response to Adah’s cries.
By the end of Chapter 9 of Second Class Citizen, therefore, Francis has succeeded in doing too much harm to Adah’s emotional state, her sense of dignity and self-worth. From now on, she no longer sees Francis as someone who will be able to make any positive contribution to her life and those of her children. So the need for her to escape this trap of a marriage gets more urgent. And she does not mince her words in letting Francis know about this.
If you don’t go out of this ward or stop talking, I shall throw this milk jug at you. I hate you now, Francis, and one day I shall leave you.
Buchi Emecheta – Second Class Citizen
So traumatized is Adah by her experiences at the University College Hospital that she suddenly grows cold and suspicious toward everyone. The nightdress incident, coupled with Francis’s show of disdain for her personal needs, is principally responsible for her sudden change in attitude.
No wonder, on the day she leaves the hospital, Adah is not in the mood to say a nice goodbye to the people she has come to admire and love so much.
Significance of Adah’s Stay at the University College Hospital Ward
Identifiable themes include
- Loveless or abusive marriage
- Suffering
- Wickedness
The nightdress incident brings into sharp relief the complete absence of love and care in Adah’s marital life. Just like before, Adah hopes she can make Francis right that anomaly in their marriage. She asks him to buy her a nightdress just to save her further embarrassment.
Francis, probably out of a sense of shame, brings Adah a nightdress. But it is not what Adah wants. And it is not even the kind of nightdress she feels any pride in wearing. So she cannot bring herself to show it to her fellow inmates in the hospital ward.
On top of that, Francis has no scruples about depriving Adah of her own hard-earned comforts. He would rather satisfy his selfish interests at Adah’s expense.
For Adah, the obvious consequence of such a loveless marriage (which lacks respect for a hardworking and caring woman like Adah) is a feeling of regret. So Adah now begins to regret the day she got married to Francis Obi. And she blames her own people for making her put herself in this predicament.
Now she knows that she cannot stay in this marriage for long. Because her love for Francis is all but gone. The die is cast – she can no longer live with him.
She smiled at Francis, thanking God for giving him her as a tool with which it was possible to have her children. She would not harm him, because he was the father of her babies. But he was a dangerous man to live with. Like all such men, he needed victims. Adah was not going to be a willing victim.
Buchi Emecheta – Second Class Citizen
Thus, the events in the hospital ward set the tone for the eventual collapse of the relationship between Francis Obi and Adah, his very young wife.
The Rules Adah Learns
There are also the lessons Adah learnt in the course of her brief stay at the University College Hospital. Here come the key ones.
- That there are husbands in this world who live up to their marital responsibilities. From now onward, Francis must be made to be a true husband and father.
- Adah learns that she, too, has rights and a life of her own. And if she cannot fight for her rights, no one else will. She cannot afford to continue tolerating her abusive husband and sacrificing her personal interests.
- Also, she discovers that Francis may never change. The wise thing to do is to leave him as soon as possible.
This brings us to how the events at the University College Hospital help develop the character of Adah, the protagonist.
Contribution to the Development of Adah’s Character
The events at the University College Hospital, which also saw the birth of Bubu, Adah’s third child and second son, will combine to make Adah a wiser woman, determined to bring to an end her suffering at the hands of Francis.
It is after the events during her stay there that she resolves to say bye to Francis. She has had enough.
Adah now begins to see Francis in a different light. He is no longer the harmless man with his “little Chinese mouth” that she seems to admire.
From now on, Francis represents danger. A real threat, not only to her ambitions but also to her life and those of her children. The earlier she gets away from him, the safer she will be both physically and emotionally. And it will only take a little trigger to abandon the marriage – a marriage she had previously almost accepted as her unchangeable fate.
RELATED QUESTION: Discuss the contribution of the birth of Bubu to the development of the plot in Second Class Citizen.
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Final thoughts
This is the end of our summary and analysis of Chapter 9 of Second Class Citizen. If you wish to learn how to write an acceptable Literature essay, click here.
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