Oko Sekyi is at once a sympathetic and an abhorrent character in the novel. He loves his wife Esi dearly, not only for her beauty but also for her independence and intelligence. But at the same time, Oko resents her for exactly the same reasons. He is bothered by the comments made by his friends, who are beginning to regard him as less and less of a man because of his wife’s independence from him. Oko’s response to his friends’ ridicule is to rape his wife—an act that leads directly to Esi’s decision to divorce him, given that he does not even apologize. Like all of the characters in the novel, Oko is struggling to understand his relationships in a changing world. Following his divorce, Oko’s mother presents him with a gift: a young girl who can play the role of a compliant and obedient wife. Even though there may very well be some appeal to such a relationship, Oko continues to love his strong-willed ex-wife.