Fire brings destruction and despair into Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing, but also connects Effia’s family lineage. Fire’s ability to destroy, despair, and link Effia’s family history is seen through a variety of characters that suffer mentally, physically, and emotionally as a result. Effia’s family lineage goes through several trials and tribulations as a result of fire destroying their family. The characters’ in Effia’s family have to go through several moments of destruction, but the moments of destruction ultimately lead to new relationships reconnecting Effia’s family lineage. Therefore, fire personifies an underlying characteristic of an antagonist character, but with the abilities to destroy and reconnect Effia’s …show more content…
For instance, fire consumed Akua’s life and also “she’d dreamed of it” (1770. Her vivid dreams about fire destroyed her life and led her to “set the hut on fire while [Yaw], still a baby, and his sisters slept” (227). Therefore, Akua’s fear of fire not only affected her, but her fear of fire also affected her son. Besides having a vivid scar on his face, he also had to deal with the different stories about his mother who was referred to as “the Crazy Woman of Edweso” (227). Also, Yaw’s scar is the reason for Akua’s openness urging Yaw to explore his freedom, and chants “Be free, Yaw. Be free”(242). Therefore, Yaw’s scar and reconciliation with Akua encourages characters Marjorie and Marcus to face their fears with fire and water, which also allows for the two to live a life their ancestors …show more content…
For instance, Effia was born on the night that “a fire raged through the woods just outside her father’s compound” (3). Ultimately, the fire that started on Effia’s birth affected her life before she even knew her name. The same fire that “raged through the woods” was the same fire that removed Esi from her immediate family. Again, even though there is no direct correlation with the black stone pendants, Esi and Akua’s mother, Maame, states that she left a stone pendant for each of the sisters “after [she] set the fire” (42). Therefore, the perception that Marjorie and Marcus connecting are symbolic to Esi and Akua’s spirits connecting