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Under the Udala Trees


Raw, emotionally intelligent and unflinchingly honest--a triumph.
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What does the novel tell you about love? Who loves whom?

Created: 08/26/16

Replies: 9

Posted Aug. 26, 2016 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
davinamw

Join Date: 10/15/10

Posts: 3442

What does the novel tell you about love? Who loves whom?

What does the novel tell you about love? Who loves whom?


Posted Sep. 07, 2016 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
margott

Join Date: 10/12/11

Posts: 3

RE: What does the novel tell you about love? Who loves whom?

The story is told by a loving narrator, a growing up female very much in touch with her own reactions. Thus it always feels honest. The Mama loves her daughter, but not without judgments. The daughter loves her mother but she can feel hurt, betrayed. The husband loves but makes unreasonable demands. The teacher and his wife are wrapped up in themselves. Amina loves for a time but then bends to convention. The most loving person in the book is really the new baby! And in the end, Mama shows great depth of soul in her love for our heroine. That saves the whole story from just being unbearable.


Posted Sep. 07, 2016 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
reene

Join Date: 02/18/15

Posts: 497

RE: What does the novel tell you about love? Who loves whom?

I think the novel sums up the whole truth about love in the epilogue when the mother says "God, who created you, must have known what He did." She finished with "Let peace be. Let life be", and if I could just add Let love be.


Posted Sep. 08, 2016 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
dianaps

Join Date: 05/29/15

Posts: 460

RE: What does the novel tell you about love? Who loves whom?

Ah, the age old question of what is love. Love is different for many different people and for many different reasons. To thine own heart be true. I was pleased that in the end her mother finally accepted her daughter's choice.


Posted Sep. 11, 2016 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
louisee

Join Date: 06/29/15

Posts: 143

RE: What does the novel tell you about love? Who loves whom?

The novel shows us it can be a struggle to love someone different than yourself. I was also happy that Ijeoma's mother finally accepted her daughter for herself and not try to change her anymore. Ijeoma's husband thinks he knew his wife but he didn't, he is trying to love her as a wife when he should love her as a friend.


Posted Sep. 12, 2016 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
Maggie

Join Date: 01/01/16

Posts: 434

RE: What does the novel tell you about love? Who loves whom?

Ijeoma loved her mother so much that she married a man just to please her and of course because of society. But loving her mother had a lot to do with this wrong decision. She also loved her daughter enough to get her out of the disfunctional unhappy home. Ijeoma's mother loved her. She did not understand her life choices and she believed something was very wrong with her daughter. She did want to help although the bible lessons were not a help. But in the end of the novel she did show her love by letting her daughter come home.


Posted Sep. 14, 2016 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
pennyp

Join Date: 03/22/12

Posts: 353

RE: What does the novel tell you about love? Who loves whom?

I think the novel showed both that love can be difficult and that people love and show love very differently. Most of the time, love can be pretty conditional. In the end, the mother accepted both her daughter and grandchild.


Posted Sep. 14, 2016 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
JAKL1

Join Date: 12/06/12

Posts: 55

RE: What does the novel tell you about love? Who loves whom?

Love in this novel is shown in many different ways and has a progression feeling especially with her mother. We are lead to believe her mother does not care for her when she drops her daughter off and labels her. Then we see a transition of the mother's love of understanding and acceptance in the final chapters in the book.


Posted Sep. 16, 2016 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
arielf

Join Date: 04/22/11

Posts: 34

RE: What does the novel tell you about love? Who loves whom?

Love can be shown many ways. I felt that in the novel Ije showed her love by many of her actions, despite what the eventual outcome.


Posted Sep. 24, 2016 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
juliep

Join Date: 04/07/12

Posts: 250

RE: What does the novel tell you about love? Who loves whom?

That love is flawed and complicated - Ijeoma's mother loved her, but didn't want to accept her as she really was, at least until the very end. Ijeoma's father loved her, but couldn't face the prospect of a civil war and all that could happen and so gave up. Ijeoma's husband loved her, but he ignored who she really was.


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