Ama Ata Aidoo (1942)
"Two sisters" is inclded in the collection "No Sweetness Here," which is concerned with the plight of women in Ghana.
The story is a strong indictment of male privilege in the way it is practiced in much of post-colonial Africa. Men who succeed financially are the "big men" who use their power/ buying power to have theri way with whatever women they desire. It is a common theme in much writing from Africa, especially writing by women (Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie, Mariama Ba, etc.).
This story gives us some ambiguity because it tells this story from two perspectives, or three. Connnie the elder sister believes that Mercy, the younger sister is "ruining" herself by be liaisons with older, powerful men. Yet she is in a marriage relationship in which the husband openly cavorts with mistresses (showing that it is not only Big Men who exploit the relatively powerless women in this society). Mercy, the younger sister, acts in a way that she has noticed bring benefits to others. We are meant to understand that her office job brings with it a very inadequate paycheck, and perhaps that a job driving a taxi is pretty equivilent when it comes to ernings. Thus, Mensar-Arthur is a viable option.
James, the husband of Connie, sides wiith mercy, when he says "Why shouldn't she?"
Does Aidoo gove us the position upon which to cast our own judgment on the situation? Or does she just present the story as it is, in all its ambiguity, compelling us, perhaps, to mourn the lost possibilities of Mercy's life but allowing us to sypathize with her all the same? We might also consider the plight of poor guys like Joe.
