The Girl Who Can - Questions & Answers

Nana is initially presented as a representative of traditional patriarchal views within African society. Her primary and repetitive criticism of Adjoa's thin legs is not merely a physical observation but a statement about female worth and female role. Nana believes that women's bodies exist primarily for reproduction, and she judges Adjoa's body based on its suitability for this biological function. Her statement that Adjoa's legs cannot "support the hefty load of a woman's full hips" reveals her understanding that a woman's value is fundamentally tied to her capacity to bear children.

Nana's criticism is relentless and compulsive. She feels "compelled to remind her granddaughter" of her thin legs every time she sees her. This compulsion suggests that Nana's criticism is not based on genuine concern but on her investment in traditional gender roles and female identity. She is attempting to ensure that Adjoa accepts and internalizes the traditional understanding of what it means to be a woman.

Nana's initial skepticism when Adjoa announces the District Games further reveals her limited perspective. She cannot believe that her "inadequate" granddaughter could be selected for athletic competition. Nana must personally verify the claim at school, suggesting that her prejudice is so strong that she cannot accept contradictory evidence without confirmation. This skepticism reveals how deeply embedded her traditional views are.

However, Nana undergoes a profound transformation once she is confronted with evidence of Adjoa's capability. Her skepticism gives way to support. She personally washes and irons Adjoa's uniform and borrows a pressing iron to ensure proper preparation. She wakes early each day to walk to the district center to watch Adjoa compete. Most significantly, after witnessing Adjoa's victory, she abandons her criticism entirely and instead states privately, "Thin legs can also be useful."

Nana's transformation is significant because it suggests that traditional views about women, while persistent, are not immutable. When confronted with compelling evidence of female capability outside traditional roles, even someone deeply invested in traditional perspectives can change. Nana's character arc represents the possibility of redemption and growth, suggesting that prejudice can be overcome through witnessing actual human achievement.

Education functions as the central transformative force in "The Girl Who Can," enabling Adjoa to develop her potential and ultimately changing the perspectives of her family and community. The story demonstrates how education can be a tool for female empowerment and for disrupting entrenched gender norms.

For Adjoa, education is the means through which she discovers and develops her athletic abilities. School provides the structure, coaching, and opportunities for competition that allow her talents to emerge. Without school, Adjoa would have remained in the village, her athletic potential unrealized. Education is not merely an intellectual pursuit but a pathway to discovering and developing human capability.

The story emphasizes the physical cost of Adjoa's access to education—she must walk five kilometers each way daily. This significant commitment demonstrates that accessing education, even when it is theoretically available, requires substantial effort and dedication, particularly in rural communities. Yet Adjoa undertakes this journey daily and "enjoys the walks," demonstrating her commitment to learning and her internal motivation.

Maami understands education's transformative power more explicitly than the other characters. She has experienced its absence and knows that education provides access to knowledge, possibilities, and freedom. Her determination to ensure that Adjoa "go[es] to school as far as you can" reflects her understanding that education is the key to breaking the cycle of deprivation and limited horizons.

Education disrupts gender norms in the story in multiple ways. First, it provides Adjoa with a space outside her family and village where she can develop capabilities that do not fit traditional female roles. Athletic achievement, competitive spirit, and public recognition are traditionally associated with masculinity, not femininity. School provides space for Adjoa to develop these capabilities.

Second, education disrupts gender norms by providing Adjoa with opportunities to achieve recognition and honor beyond her reproductive capacity. The District Games trophy recognizes Adjoa as the best all-round junior athlete—a recognition based on merit and capability, not on her suitability for domestic or maternal roles. This recognition offers an alternative measure of female worth.

Third, education disrupts gender norms by changing the perspectives of those around Adjoa. Nana's transformation would not be possible without Adjoa's education and the opportunities it provides. Once confronted with evidence of Adjoa's capability through athletic achievement, Nana must reconsider her traditional beliefs about women's bodies and roles.

The story suggests that education's power to disrupt gender norms lies in its ability to provide opportunities for people, especially women, to develop capabilities that transcend traditional gender expectations. By accessing education, Adjoa discovers that she can run and win races, that she can be recognized for her achievement, and that her body—the same thin legs Nana criticized—can accomplish remarkable things. Education enables Adjoa to become "the girl who can."

The title "The Girl Who Can" is deceptively simple, but it captures multiple layers of meaning that illuminate the story's central themes and Adjoa's transformation from an unrecognized girl with criticized physical characteristics to a celebrated athlete and achiever.

On the surface, "The Girl Who Can" refers literally to Adjoa's capabilities as an athlete who can win races and achieve athletic distinction. The title emphasizes her ability and capacity. Unlike the girl who has "thin legs" (Nana's criticism), this is "the girl who can"—the girl whose body, previously criticized as inadequate, can actually accomplish remarkable things.

More deeply, the title speaks to the power of capability and achievement. In a story where traditional gender roles confine women to particular roles and functions, Adjoa becomes "the girl who can" because she demonstrates capabilities that transcend those traditional confines. She can run, she can win, she can compete, she can be recognized as an athlete. These capabilities are not limited by her sex or her body.

The title also emphasizes the shift from invisibility to recognition. Before the District Games, Adjoa quietly wins races at school without telling anyone. She is undiscovered, unrecognized, unvalued—even by her own family. She is not "the girl who can" in any recognized sense because her capabilities are hidden. The District Games provide the stage on which her capabilities become visible and recognized. She becomes "the girl who can" through public recognition of her achievement.

Furthermore, the title speaks to the power of positive possibility and potential. "The girl who can" is contrasted implicitly with "the girl who cannot"—the girl confined to traditional roles, limited by her body and social expectations. Adjoa's transformation into "the girl who can" represents her refusal to accept those limitations and her demonstration that alternatives are possible.

The title also emphasizes female agency and capability in a context where female agency is restricted. In Hasodzi, women are expected to be passive recipients of their roles as wives and mothers. "The girl who can" suggests an active agent who achieves through her own effort and determination. Adjoa's quiet commitment to her education and her silent achievement of athletic excellence demonstrate the agency and determination that the title celebrates.

The title's use of "the girl" rather than Adjoa's name also suggests universality. The story is not merely about one particular girl named Adjoa; it is about "the girl" who can break free from restrictive gender roles and achieve in ways that transcend those roles. The title invites readers to see Adjoa as representative of girls everywhere who possess capabilities that extend beyond traditional gender expectations.

Finally, the title encapsulates the story's message that capability is not determined by gender or body type. Nana's criticism—that Adjoa's thin legs are inadequate for a woman—is revealed as fundamentally false when those very legs carry Adjoa to victory. The title "The Girl Who Can" affirms that capabilities reside in individuals, not in gender categories, and that female achievement is possible when girls are given the space and opportunity to develop their potential.

The contrast between Adjoa's quiet confidence and humility and Nana's vocal criticism creates a crucial dynamic that shapes the story's message about female empowerment. These two contrasting approaches to female identity reveal different paths toward female power and recognition.

Nana's approach is vocal and critical. She speaks constantly about Adjoa's perceived inadequacies. She expresses her opinions about female bodies and roles loudly and repeatedly. Her criticism is performed—it is heard by Adjoa, it becomes the basis of family discourse, and it represents Nana's authority and her investment in traditional perspectives. Nana's approach assumes that female identity and value must be defined and approved by authority figures (like herself) and that criticism and control are the appropriate means of directing women toward their proper roles.

Adjoa's approach is quiet and confident. She pursues her education and develops her athletic abilities without seeking approval or validation. She walks five kilometers daily to school and enjoys the walks. She wins races at school and thinks these achievements are "not important"—not because she genuinely believes they lack value, but because she has not internalized a need for external validation. She does not boast about her accomplishments or seek recognition. Her identity is rooted in her own capabilities rather than in external judgment.

The quiet confidence of Adjoa's approach is particularly powerful because it suggests an internal sense of worth and capability that does not depend on external approval. She does not need Nana's validation to know that she is capable. She does not need her family's acknowledgment to continue pursuing her education and developing her talents. Her quiet pursuit of her goals suggests a self-directed confidence that is potentially more powerful than Nana's critical control.

The story suggests that Adjoa's quiet confidence is actually more effective at transforming perspectives than Nana's vocal criticism. Nana's criticism cannot constrain Adjoa or prevent her from developing her capabilities because Adjoa has learned to ignore the criticism and continue with her own pursuits. Adjoa's quiet achievement, however, ultimately transforms Nana's perspective. When confronted with evidence of Adjoa's capability, Nana abandons her critical stance.

This contrast shapes the story's message about female empowerment in several ways. First, it suggests that female empowerment comes not from seeking approval from authority figures but from internally confident pursuit of one's capabilities and interests. Adjoa does not wait for Nana's permission or approval to develop as a person and athlete. Second, the contrast suggests that loud criticism and vocal expressions of opinion, while they may seem powerful, are less transformative than quiet demonstration of capability. Nana's years of vocal criticism have less effect on Adjoa than a single week of witnessing Adjoa's athletic achievement. Third, the contrast suggests that female empowerment is rooted not in performance for external judgment but in authentic development of individual capability.

Adjoa's humility about her achievements is particularly significant. She does not brag about winning races; she simply thinks they are not important enough to mention. This humility is not self-deprecation or insecurity; it is a genuine lack of need for external validation. She knows she is capable; she does not need others to confirm this knowledge. This internal confidence is more powerful and more transformative than any amount of external affirmation.

The contrast between vocal criticism and quiet confidence ultimately reverses expected power relationships. Nana, as the elder and authority figure, attempts to maintain power through vocal criticism and control. Adjoa, as the young person without formal authority, develops power through quiet confidence and demonstrated capability. The story suggests that authentic power comes not from controlling others through criticism but from developing one's own capabilities and living according to one's own values. In this reversal, Adjoa becomes the more powerful figure, not through rebellion or confrontation, but simply through the quiet development and public demonstration of her capability.