Second Class Citizen | Buchi Emecheta

From a young age, Adah possesses a strong desire for education and a better life, a dream significantly influenced by her perception of the "United Kingdom" as a land of opportunity and sophistication.
"The title 'United Kingdom' when pronounced by Adah's father sounded so heavy, like the type of noise one associated with bombs. It was so deep, so mysterious, that Adah's father always voiced it in hushed tones... Going to the United Kingdom must surely be like paying God a visit. The United Kingdom, then, must be like heaven."
Adah’s early experiences shape her character, giving her a low opinion of her own sex because of her early interactions with women. “She thought that it was these experiences with Ma so early in life that had given her such a very low opinion of her own sex. Somebody said somewhere that our characters are usually formed early in life. Yes, that somebody was right. Women still made Adah nervous. They had a way of sapping her self-confidence. She did have one or two women friends with whom she discussed the weather, and fashion. But when in real trouble, she would rather look for a man. Men were so solid, so safe.”