The Girl with the Louding Voice

The houses in The Girl with the Louding Voice are symbols of the growing danger in Adunni’s life. Each time she moves to a new home, her life becomes more precarious. She begins in her parents’ house, moves into Morufu’s home, and is then sent to Big Madam’s mansion. Each house is progressively larger, more lavish, and filled with more danger than before. In her parents’ house, her mother is dead and the empty house reminds her of her loss. The family have very little except each other. The television in the house is broken, and all of the children sleep in one room. However, Adunni knows no other life. She is happy in the house because it allows her to be close to her loved ones. All she has is contained within the building, so leaving represents a drastic upheaval.

After Adunni is sold to Morufu as a bride, the mood at the old man’s house is immediately different. Morufu demands sex from her, Labake treats her with contempt, and Adunni is no longer able to see her little brother whenever she wants. Being in a different house is a physical manifestation of the distress Adunni feels.