By Bena Nekesa
Osio Ogbu in The Moon Also Sets depicts a widowed mother whose husband dies and leaves her with children, the firstborn of whom is Oby. The in-laws bother her so much that they want her to forcefully marry Uncle Ben, her late husband’s younger brother, in order to take control of the land. She confidently refuses and apologises for her unfavourable response to their request due to her ideals, dedication, and strength. They become enraged with her, but Mama Oby is preoccupied with her children. She works hard to ensure that Oby attends university and that her siblings receive an education as well. Oby enrols at the University of Embakassi and struggles greatly to adjust to the modern environment that is so different from theirs.
The novel “The Moon Also Sets” piques my curiosity in a variety of ways. Mama Oby’s determination, courage, and ideals inspire me much. They educate me to be strong in the face of any adversity in life, to be principled in order to achieve what I want in life, and to be unwavering in my pursuit of my life goals. Oby’s character, as the first daughter of her mother, teaches me to be an example to my siblings. She works so hard to get to campus and still maintains a good persona in front of her family members. This adds to my enjoyment of the novel. Mama Oby fights for her family with zeal and devotion, and she overcomes all challenges.
I hate the way Mama Oby’s in-laws treat her. They are very conservative in their traditional setting, to the extent that they envy someone learning and changing into a modern life. Then there is also what Chike does to Oby at the end by forcing her to abort the baby against her will. He makes her take juice mixed with herbs for abortion, which puts Oby’s life at risk since she bleeds so much. This disgusts me deeply.
To me, Mama Oby perfectly plays her role in the novel. Oby tries so hard with her role, but then messes up while at the university when she accepts to be much taken by the modern world. Her mad relationship with Chike risks her life in the end. So, to me, Oby would have concentrated more on her education, and then the relationship would come last. In fact, Chike deserves his arrest, and his friend Chris deserves Oby. Because Chris cares for Oby more than Chike on campus, reaching the extent of saving her from the immoral lecturer who wanted to sexually harass Oby. This is so good of Chris. Finally, Chris and Oby end the story by watching the sunset and enjoying their love, which is very fitting for them. Definitely, the ending of the novel, “The Moon Also Sets”, is good to me.