Question

Difficulty: MediumMajor Character Identification and Role Analysis

In Bayo Adebowale's novel *Lonely Days*, which of the following best describes the primary narrative role of the protagonist, Yaremi?

  1. A resilient widow who actively resists harmful cultural widowhood rites and asserts her personal independence.Answer
  2. B
    A submissive villager who accepts levirate marriage to preserve traditional community harmony.
  3. C
    A minor antagonist who manipulates village elders to gain exclusive control over her late husband's estate.
  4. D
    A passive bystander who leaves Kufi village immediately after her husband's death to avoid conflict.

Answer

A resilient widow who actively resists harmful cultural widowhood rites and asserts her personal independence.
In *Lonely Days*, Yaremi's central narrative role is that of a strong-willed protagonist who challenges the oppressive widowhood customs of Kufi village. Following her husband Ajumobi's death, she stands firm against forced remarriage through the cap-picking ceremony, demonstrating independence, moral strength, and self-reliance.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the central figure and text
Yaremi is the protagonist of Bayo Adebowale's prose work *Lonely Days*.
Determining the character's structural placement establishes the basis for role analysis.
2
Analyze her key actions and plot function
After the death of her husband Ajumobi, Yaremi refuses to submit to dehumanizing widowhood rituals and rejects the village elders' cap-picking tradition for remarriage.
Evaluating a protagonist's actions highlights how she drives the central conflict against societal expectations.
3
Synthesize her narrative role
Yaremi serves as a symbol of female fortitude, individuality, and resistance against oppressive cultural norms.
Matching narrative actions with thematic significance yields the correct character role summary.

Key Concept

Protagonist Narrative Function and Role Analysis
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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