How does depression affect the marriage of Ijeoma and Chibundu?

How does depression affect the marriage of Ijeoma and Chibundu?

Depression plays a large part in why they do not have a good marriage. Ijeoma is depressed because she does not want to be with a man. She knows who she loves. She cannot function. She can't even make a decent dinner for her husband. He in turn works hard and would like a pleasant home and a loving wife to come home to. They cannot communicate as she feels she cannot tell him her true feelings.

Depression is destroying the marriage as it is destroying Ijeoma and Chibunda. Ijeoma acts out her depression by her indifference to the home and what it looks like. Her not caring about meals, about holidays and the baby. She loves the child, and takes care of her, but the basic needs.
Chibundu is less aware of his depression. But we often find he is just sitting in the parlor, goes to work and comes home. There is very little conversation between these two characters.

I felt they were both really crippled by depression and it was this that allowed Ijeoma's mother to gradually understand that Ijeoma could not live in the way that she thought she should. The physical state of their home was a wonderful metaphor for all that was wrong in their being married.

I think Ijeoma finally realized the extent of her depression when she saw the first signs of depression in her child. When Chidinma just sat and stared at her toys or looked at her mother with sadness in her eyes, Ijeoma saw just what she was passing on to her baby and decided she must do something.

They were unable to communicate their thoughts or their feelings and that made their marriage become more difficult.

Their marriage was one full of depression and sadness because neither party was happy in it. Ijeoma wasn't happy because she could never love Chibundu, that she was now tied and trapped with him, and he was depressed because he realized that he, too, was trapped. Both tried and failed and were resigned- their mutual depression is the end result- ijeoma's sadness made her numb, but his drive him to anger and violence.