Peer Pressure
The stories in the book that show this are :The Prophetess, Uncle and The Test. In each of these stories, the narrator is a young boy who has friends who coerce him to do things he has reservations on doing. For instance, in the story of Uncle, the young boy whose mother is a nurse, runs out in the rain because his friends dared him to. He does this even though he is aware that he may get sick and his mother will be angry with him. In the story of uncle, the young narrator is forced by his friends Doksi and Wanda to lie to a group of boys. The narrator then reflects on the fact that doing what they wanted was sometimes paramount in keeping friendships stable.
This theme gives insight on the lives of young boys living in African towns. It shows their activities and how they make and keep their friendships. It also shows how an idea develops in a young mind and how others get to join and believe in that idea.
Classism
The stories show how the society was divided in African towns during the post-colonial period. There are classes according to education, the learned and the un-learned and classes according to wealth, the rich and the poor. These classes dictated how people treated each other in society.
In the story of uncle, the narrator tells us how his friends Vusi and Nana only have one pair of shoes which they use for all occasions be it school or church because their parents cannot afford another pair for them. This is in contrast to the narrator who has several pairs of shoes for all occasions. This is because they are relatively well off when compared to others in the society.
In the story, The Prophetess, classism according to education level is seen. This is when the narrator and his friends are in a bus and an argument starts. The people in the bus question whether the prophetess actually had put some invisible glue on a vine tree as it was believed. A formally educated young man jumps into the conversation and calls out the older generation's superstition. This earns him a lecture on respect and condemnation for having western views.
The role of women in Society
The stories clearly bring out the role that women played in the society whereby there was a gradual assimilation from the traditional African way of life to the ways of the colonial masters. Women are seen as healers as the prophetess in the book always gives medicinal portions to her patients. Women are also seen as caregivers for they take care of children and the elderly, they are also seen as the voice of reason because they stop street fights or advise against them in their society.
