This Motherless Land

Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses racism, sexual harassment and assault, substance abuse, pregnancy loss, child loss, and death.

“Mum said jealousy was the most evil thing in the world (which was stupid; everyone knew it was armed robbers). She acted as if a squabble could turn into hatred if you weren’t careful.”

These thoughts from Funke convey her immaturity, as she fails to understand the insidiousness of jealousy and thinks of “danger” only as physical harm to herself. However, Mum’s warning foreshadows the central conflict in the text: Margot’s anger rooted in jealousy and the little “squabble”—the incident at the ball—which will create “hatred” between Funke and Liv. As a result, the idea of jealousy and the other emotions that it creates—bitterness, anger, vindictiveness, as well as “hatred”—becomes a central idea in the novel.

“It wasn’t just in ‘s’s that Mum was excessive. Everything she did (and everything she didn’t do) screamed: Look at me!”

The only characterization of Lizzie comes from Funke’s point of view, which emphasizes the importance of perspective in the novel. Initially, Funke’s immaturity is reflected in the fact that she views mom as “excessive” and attention-seeking. However, throughout the course of the text, Funke learns how important her mother was in the lives of those in Nigeria. What Funke initially interprets as eccentricity is actually her desire to combat The Interplay Between Prejudice and Privilege, using her influence and wealth to help everyone around her.