Buchi Emecheta's Ona

"Ona" is as Much a Love Story as it is a Tale of Ritualized Beliefs and Cultural Behavior Patterns Often stories in a particular culture take into account, and capitalize on symbols of that particular culture for thematic effectiveness. Many indigenous stories thus contain generalized patterns of beliefs that serve as the backdrop which enables readers to relate to the stories and the content thereof. Buchi Emecheta's "Ona" is a powerful love story that centers …

…decision not to marry Agbadi, with whom she is much in love, is a result of cultural forces and her allegiance to those forces. If she marries, her father will lose his chance of asserting his manhood as Ona will be unable to name her son after the father. Love evidently does not conquer cultural norms and customs as they prevail in the romance between Agbadi and Ona who are mere products of their culture.