Summary Of The Concubine By Elechi Amadi
MANY WOMEN HAVE SPIRITUAL HUSBANDS
WHO ARE OUT TO DESTROY ALL MEN
After reading “The Concubine” by Elechi Amadi in Secondary school many years ago, my friend is still scared of women and has refused to marry till date. He said he sees Ihuoma in all the women he dated. Insisting that he doesn’t want to die yet, that he is taking his time to find the right woman who has no spiritual husband. I told him that time waits for nobody as he is almost 40 years but he told me that it’s better to marry late than to die early.
In Elechi Amadi’s novel The Concubine, Ihuoma is a young woman caught up in a series of events beyond her control, but she is also a woman with a secret. Ihuoma is the widow of Emenike, a man who dies under mysterious circumstances at the beginning of the novel. Many of the villagers blame Madume, the man with whom Emenike has been embroiled in a land conflict. After Emenike’s death, Madume tries to claim Ihuoma, but he ends up being blinded by a cobra and hanging himself. Ihuoma, who is a gentle-hearted person, mourns both men and the village’s loss through their deaths.
For a while, Ihuoma focuses on the task of raising her three small children. She receives help from the women of the village, who all respect and love her, for she is a kind, strong, beautiful person who attracts everyone. A problem arises, though, when she also attracts Ekwueme, who is already betrothed to another woman. Eventually, Ekwueme manages to become free to marry Ihuoma, whose care has cured him of a magical malady, but then a priest warns Ekwueme’s parents that there is a major problem with the relationship.
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At this point, readers discover that Ihuoma is not who she appears to be. She is actually a goddess in human form, a mermaid betrothed to the jealous Sea-King, who is out to destroy all men who desire Ihuoma. His influence lies behind the deaths of both Emenike and Madume, and by the end of the tale, Ekwueme also dies, proving vividly that one does not mess with the Sea-King’s bride.
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