Let the White Man Pass
Olanna thinks about the first time she met Odenigbo: they and other Nigerians were in line for a theatrical event when a white man cut the line at a ticket seller's prompting. Odenigbo pointed out the injustice and criticized how the Nigerians were willing to serve white people even though the whites had historically oppressed the Nigerians. The whole situation is presented as ironic in the context of ethnicity and nationhood. In modern times, the people who once treated Blacks as inferior were treated with respect by the people they oppressed - even though Nigeria is supposedly empowering its Black citizens.
Treated like an Object
Olanna was born in a wealthy family that raised her to be independent; she received elite schooling outside Nigeria and is proud of her proactive role in the country itself. Despite this laudable mentality, her parents still expect her to do her part and be a dutiful daughter. At one point, they even suggest that she have an affair with a wealthy businessman, Chief Okonji, so her father will be favored for a project contract. Such events are ironic considering how Olanna is treated as a sexual object with no power; the inconsistency is heightened by the fact that her parents, not a mostly hostile or oppressive set of characters, are disempowering her.
Money's Incompatibility with Happiness
Some readers might be inclined to believe that having a good financial situation will lead to more joy and fewer worries. Olanna, however, indicates that this is false when she compares her poor relatives with her rich parents. Her visits to Kano before the Civil War represent a departure from the poses and compromises of Nigerian high society. While Olanna's cousin Arize takes innocent pleasure in the prospect of having a child, Olanna's own enormously wealthy parents have a tense relationship - partially due to the extramarital affairs of Olanna's father - but stay together to maintain their prestigious position.
Ugwu's Survival
After Ugwu is forced into the army, the other characters - particularly Olanna - worry about his whereabouts. With some of her central characters now separated, Adichie uses the split perspective format of the novel to create dramatic irony. While Olanna and Odenigbo wait for news, the reader watches as Ugwu himself fits uneasily into the soldier lifestyle, earning the name Target Destroyer. Later, Olanna receives a report that Ugwu has been killed in an explosion; she believes this news, but the narrative soon switches to a scene of Ugwu in a hospital, enlightening the reader about Ugwu's fate even before other characters learn that he is alive.
