The Lion and the Jewel: Night Summary & Analysis

Later that evening, Sidi stands by the schoolhouse and admires her photographs in the magazine. Sadiku furtively enters the village center with a bundle. She pulls out a carved figure of Baroka, studies it, and laughs. She sets it down as Sidi stares. Sadiku addresses the figure, asking if his wives "scotched" him. She cackles and describes how she scotched Baroka's father years ago with her youth and strength. She says that women will always consume men. She laughs again and says that men run wildly while women just stand, watch, and draw the life from men.

Still laughing, Sadiku starts a chant of "take warning, my masters/We'll scotch you in the end" and dances around the statue of Baroka. Sidi approaches and scares Sadiku. Sadiku tells Sidi that this time of victory is not a good time for her to be scared to death, and Sidi asks what battle Sadiku won. Sadiku says that it's not just her who won—all women won. She resumes her dance and chant and Sidi stands perplexed. Sadiku asks Sidi to join her and not ask questions, but Sidi grabs her and refuses to let go until Sadiku tells her what's going on.

Sadiku makes Sidi swear silence and whispers in her ear. Sidi's eyes go wide and she asks why Baroka asked her to marry him, and Sadiku whispers in Sidi's ear again. Sidi laughs and says she's suddenly glad to be a woman. She cheers for womankind and the two women take up Sadiku's chant and dance around the statue.

Lakunle enters the village center, watches Sidi and Sadiku for a moment, and then declares that the women are going mad even when the moon isn't full. Sidi and Sadiku stop dancing. Sadiku fixes Lakunle with a disapproving stare and tells him to leave. She says that she and Sidi are going to perform a ritual and if Lakunle stays, he'll be the sacrifice. Lakunle taunts her again and calls her a hag. When he tries to assert how masculine he is, Sadiku laughs and asks if Lakunle is truly a man if Baroka isn't a man anymore. Lakunle understands what Sadiku means and looks shocked. Sadiku tells Sidi to keep dancing and ignore Lakunle, since only real men are endangered by watching the ceremony.

Sidi suddenly tells Sadiku to stop. She says that she wants to accept Baroka's invitation to the feast so she can mock him. She says she'll ask forgiveness and ask for a month to think about his proposal. Sadiku seems doubtful and says that Baroka will know she didn't keep his secret. Sidi says that she wants nothing more than to see Baroka humiliated. Sadiku warms up to the idea and tells her to torment him and to use her "bashful looks." Sadiku suggests she go with Sidi, but Sidi brushes her off. Lakunle, looking horrified, begs Sidi not to go. He says that Baroka will see right through the plot and will beat Sidi, but Sidi gleefully sings a goodbye and runs off.

Lakunle calls Sidi foolish and reprimands Sadiku for not being able to keep a secret, insulting her age in the process. He threatens her if anything happens to Sidi, but Sadiku only laughs and says that Sidi can take better care of herself than Lakunle would ever be able to. She walks around Lakunle, studying him, and tells him he's unattractive. Lakunle refuses to take the bait.

Sadiku tells Lakunle that his betrothed is currently eating with Baroka. Lakunle seems pleased that Sadiku called Sidi his betrothed, but he quickly corrects her that they're not technically engaged yet. Sadiku laughs and asks if Lakunle has paid the bride price, and Lakunle instructs her to mind her own business. Sadiku suggests that Lakunle take a farm for one season to earn the money, and then wonders if the dirt will be too smelly for him.

Lakunle again tells Sadiku to leave him alone. Sadiku laughs and says that it's true then that Lakunle means to modernize the village so that the bride price is a thing of a past. She says it's a good way of getting out of paying the price, but it'd be easier to just pay it. Lakunle states that within two years, the village will be completely transformed: women will stand with men, a road will pass through, and women will cook in saucepans. He continues, saying that in Lagos people build factories while in Ilujinle people play silly games. Lakunle says that Ilujinle must modernize or be forgotten.

Sadiku, looking terrified, tries to walk away, but Lakunle follows her and continues his tirade. He tells Sadiku that she needs to come to school with the children since she doesn't read, write, or think. He accuses her of doing nothing but collecting women for Baroka.

In Baroka's bedroom, Baroka and his wrestler are wrestling. Sidi enters Baroka's house and yells the traditional greeting. Baroka hears her but chooses to ignore her in favor of the task at hand. Sidi comes into Baroka's bedroom and is surprised to see Baroka and the wrestler. Baroka asks if Sadiku isn't home, and Sidi answers that nobody greeted her. Baroka sighs and remembers out loud that today is Sunday, the day that his servants take a day off now that they've formed a union.

Sidi asks if Baroka's wives also get the day off. Baroka says that the "madness" hasn't yet reached his wives, and he asks again if anyone greeted Sidi. He asks specifically about his favorite wife and Sidi, fascinated by the wrestling match, absentmindedly replies that she noticed the woman's stool and embroidery when she came in. Baroka muses that his favorite is surely sulking and asks if she left her shawl. Sidi confirms that the shawl is on the stool, and Baroka sighs that the shawl means his favorite will return this evening, even though he wanted to escape her for a number of days. When Sidi asks why, Baroka explains that the favorite abused his armpit.

Sidi seems disappointed by this explanation, and Baroka asks what more a woman could do to him. Sidi hastily agrees that there's nothing worse that a woman could possibly do, but suggests that young wives might be too forward at times. Baroka brushes this off and says that wives don't behave that way in his house.

The wrestling match continues and Sidi remains fascinated by it, though she suddenly remembers why she came in the first place. She kneels and tells Baroka that she comes "as a repentant child." Baroka feigns confusion and Sidi explains that her answer to the Bale's question was thoughtless. Baroka continues to act confused and says he only asked for her to join him for dinner. Sidi is caught off guard and asks if Baroka didn't ask for something else. She finally says that she just wants to make sure the Bale invited her to his home.

Baroka asks if Sidi thinks he's offended that she entered his bedroom without being announced. When Sidi reminds him that he called her a stranger, he simply replies that his bedroom should be private. When Sidi looks hurt, Baroka calls her his child and tells her she takes offense too quickly. Sidi curtseys to Baroka, though she doesn't look at him.

Sidi remembers her purpose again and adopting a mischievous tone, says she thought the favorite was a "gentle" woman. Baroka says he thought the same, and Sidi asks if the favorite was dissatisfied with Baroka. Baroka incredulously asks Sidi if she thinks he has time to consider why women are annoyed at any given moment. This again scares Sidi and hurts her feelings and seeing this, Baroka gently tells Sidi to sit down and not make him feel like a crotchety old man. He explains that he doesn't let anyone watch his exercises.

Watching the men wrestle, Sidi offers that she thinks the wrestler will win. Baroka asks her if she wants the wrestler to win. Sidi hesitates before offering a riddle in response. Baroka pretends to be confused and turns back to his opponent and Sidi seizes the opportunity to make faces behind Baroka's back. She says again that she thinks the wrestler will win, and Baroka explains that the wrestler has to win. Baroka compliments his opponent's strength and says that he wrestles new opponents when he learns to beat old ones, and takes new wives when he learns to tire the old ones.

Sidi asks Baroka if he's experiencing a time of change right now, and Baroka replies that he doesn't know. Sidi paces away from the wrestling match and back, telling Baroka that a woman brought her a message that afternoon of a "go-between" (suggesting an offer of marriage). Baroka asks if this is unusual and says he's happy for her. He says she must have many suitors, and Sidi says that this particular offer came from a man who is very well to-do.

Pacing and making more rude gestures behind Baroka's back, Sidi asks Baroka if he'd pay the bride price to this man if Baroka were her father. She offers an aside to the audience that many would believe Baroka was her father anyway.

Baroka asks if the man is rich or repulsive. Sidi says he's rich, but old. Baroka asks if the man is mean, and Sidi says that she's heard stories that this man is very generous to strangers, but the man's wives say that he enjoys ground corn and pepper because he doesn't want to pay for snuff. Baroka throws his wrestler over his shoulder angrily and bursts out that the price of snuff has nothing to do with anything. Sidi celebrates Baroka's wrestling victory and ignores his outburst, while Baroka continues to say that people are slandering him.

The wrestler pulls out a low bench and sits on the floor. Baroka sits down as well and the two begin to arm wrestle on the bench. Composing himself, Baroka says that he knows the ways of women and he offers Sidi a hypothetical situation in which as a child, he himself learned to love "tanfiri" (the aforementioned ground corn and pepper), but as an old man, he found his desire for the tanfiri insatiable. He asks Sidi to consider how bad it would look for a man like him to be constantly consuming the tanfiri in public, and suggests that purchasing a "dignified" snuff box would make the habit look better. He reminds Sidi that this is only a hypothetical situation to illustrate how mean women can be. Sidi, however, is still dancing and has obviously paid no attention to Baroka's monologue.

Embarrassed, Sidi stops dancing when she sees Baroka eyeing her with confusion. She tries to recover and says that this time the wrestler will surely win. Baroka returns to Sidi's suitor and asks if he's kind, fierce, and wise. Sidi answers that he's kind to his animals and has a number of leopard skins, but she notes that those are readily available in the market. She says the man is very clever.

Baroka, seeming desperate, asks if the man is still fathering children. Sidi says that he used to, but he hasn't had any children for the last several years. Baroka suggests that the man is frugal, but Sidi giggles and wonders if he's neglecting his wives. As Baroka slams his opponent's arm down on the table, he says that Sidi sounds like she's been listening to Sadiku, which Sidi denies.

Baroka acts annoyed and accuses Sidi of making him lose his wrestler. He sends the wrestler to find a gourd of food, sits down on the bed, and laments that he's becoming an ill-tempered old man. He tells Sidi he wanted to surprise her with his invitation for dinner and asks again if she's been talking with Sadiku. Sidi again denies that she spoke with Sadiku, and Baroka asks if Sadiku possibly made something up. Sidi insists that Sadiku told her nothing except that Baroka begged her presence for dinner.

Sidi's use of "beg" seems to anger Baroka and he accuses her of taunting her elders. He explains that she shouldn't listen to women like Sadiku, as they scheme and play matchmaker for him whether he asks them to or not. He laments that he can't ask after any young women in the village without Sadiku inserting herself, and the women inevitably end up in his bed. Sidi says Baroka's life sounds rough.

Baroka nonchalantly replies that he accepts his life without complaint and only dislikes the "new immodesty" of women. He asks if Sidi is still behaving like a village girl, and Sidi insists that she is. Baroka looks Sidi up and down and wonders out loud how he could've ever thought that she was vain and silly. He says he thinks she's quite mature and wise as he pulls out the magazine and an addressed envelope.

Baroka hands Sidi the envelope and asks Sidi if she knows what the stamp is. Sidi says she does and shares that Lakunle gets letters from Lagos with stamps. Baroka looks disappointed that Sidi knows and asks her if she also knows what the stamp means. Sidi proudly says that it's a tax on "the habit of talking with paper." Baroka says it's obvious that she's been learning from Lakunle.

Baroka goes to a strange machine in the corner of his room and calls Sidi to look at it. He explains that the machine doesn't work yet, but when it's fixed, it will allow him to print stamps for Ilujinle. Sidi is in awe. Baroka asks her what she thinks of the image on the stamp (a bridge). He goes on to describe the images on other stamps: palm trees, groundnuts, bronze figures. He laments that no stamps show people, and asks Sidi to imagine stamps with her own image on them. Sidi loses herself in the daydream and sits down on Baroka's bed, holding the magazine but not looking at it.

Baroka asks Sidi if it's too much to ask for her beauty to grace the mail of Ilujinle. He paces the length of the room and explains that they'll start with making stamps for the village only. Turning to Sidi, Baroka says that people invent all sorts of stories about his hatred of progress and modernity, but he only wants to do what's best for his people, and the stamps will improve life in the village. Baroka continues to say that he doesn't hate progress; he just hates that it makes everything look the same. Walking back to Sidi, he sits next to her on the bed and asks her if she too finds "sameness" boring and revolting. Sidi can only nod.

Baroka says that he and Sidi both have sensitive souls, and says that though they're a generation apart in age, their thoughts fit together perfectly. He says their first "union" will come when they make the stamp with her face on it, and he will worship Sidi's beauty. He asks Sidi if she likes the idea, but Sidi slowly says that she can barely understand as his words sound like Lakunle's. She wonders if she's as dumb as Lakunle tells her she is and looks miserable.

Baroka assures Sidi that she's not dumb, just "straight and truthful." He says that he and Lakunle are really very alike and must learn from each other. Baroka says that "the old must flow into the new" rather than fight each other. Sidi says that Baroka's words seem wise, and Baroka continues to speak about the necessity of embracing both old and new. He says that people think his life is only one of pleasure, but he insists that he works hard for his people. Sidi lays her head on Baroka's shoulder.

A group of dancers composed of several women chasing a masked man cross the room twice to the sound of drumming and shouting. Later that evening, Lakunle and Sadiku stand in the market waiting for Sidi, watching vendors hawk their wares. Lakunle paces and looks worried and angry, while Sadiku looks content. Lakunle insists angrily that Baroka killed Sidi. He says that he'll drive Sadiku out of her home for plotting with Sidi to mock Baroka.

As people pass, Lakunle continues to search the crowd for Sidi. When the wrestler passes, Sadiku greets him. After their exchange, she looks confused. Lakunle laments Sidi's fate in Baroka's dungeon and vows to rescue her. Sadiku and Lakunle hear mummers (street performers) and Sadiku suggests that they heard the news of Baroka's lost manhood. Lakunle chastises her for spreading Baroka's secret.

Sadiku seems unconcerned and reaches her hand into Lakunle's pocket, asking if he has money. He jumps away from her, but she insists he pay the mummers for a performance. She says the mummers will expect him to pay for a performance since he's a schoolteacher and possesses "foreign wisdom." The dancers pass through again while Sadiku successfully grabs money out of Lakunle's pocket. She offers the money to the mummers who drum thanks to her. She gestures that Lakunle gave them the money and they drum thanks to him, which annoys Lakunle.

The dancers dance the story of Baroka's downfall. Baroka is portrayed as comical and only tolerated by his wives. Sadiku watches the dance excitedly and joins in to dance the final "scotching" of Baroka. When the story is finished, the dancers dance away while Sadiku continues alone. Lakunle enjoyed the dance despite his annoyance. Sadiku walks happily back towards Lakunle, who tries to look unhappy about the performance. Annoyed, Sadiku shouts "boo" at him and dances at him. She says men used to love her smooth dancing. Lakunle says that he hopes Baroka kills her for this trick.

Sidi runs into the market square, sobbing. She violently throws herself on the ground next to a tree. Sadiku kneels next to her and asks Sidi what's wrong, but Sidi pushes her away. Lakunle, looking triumphant, tries to take Sadiku's place. He offers to kiss Sidi's tears away but Sidi pushes him away too. Lakunle declares that Baroka must have beaten Sidi and tells the women that he warned them this would happen. Sidi keeps crying as Lakunle says he'll take Baroka to court for beating Sidi.

Looking up, Sidi calls Sadiku and Lakunle fools and says that Baroka lied to Sadiku about his manhood. She says that he told Sidi "afterwards" that he knew Sadiku wouldn't keep his secret to herself, and he knew that young women would try to mock him for it. She yells that she hates him. Lakunle looks distraught and asks if Sidi escaped, insisting he can take the truth "like a man." Sadiku asks Sidi if she's still a virgin, and Sidi bursts into tears and shakes her head no. Lakunle invokes the Lord, but Sadiku says it's too late to pray and tells Sidi it happens to "the best of us."

Lakunle asks the heavens to strike him dead and insists he no longer wants to live. He quickly decides that the wish to die is cowardly, and says that his love is selfless. He stands over Sidi and says that they'll forget the past. He says what happened won't change his love, but they can skip the bride price now that she's not a virgin. He offers Sidi his hand and shooting a glance at Sadiku, says that they'll all swear to keep this a secret. Sidi incredulously asks Lakunle if he'll really marry her. Puffing his chest, Lakunle says he will, and Sidi runs away.

Sadiku wonders what Sidi's doing. Lakunle, looking after Sidi, says that she's going home and asks Sadiku to follow and find out what she's doing. Sadiku follows Sidi while Lakunle insists to himself that he's a fool, but he obeys "his books." Music begins far away as Lakunle recites that "man takes the fallen woman by the hand" and remarks on his good fortune now that the question of the bride price is resolved.

Sadiku returns to Lakunle and says that Sidi is packing her things and oiling herself like a bride. Alarmed, Lakunle says that there's no need to rush the wedding—he has to ask Sidi to marry him, and then he has to hire a number of people to facilitate the festivities. Sadiku says that she told Sidi the same thing, but Sidi only laughed and said to "leave all that nonsense to savages and 'barbarians.'"

Lakunle insists that he can't be single one day and married the next with no time to prepare. Hearing the musicians he wonders how they found out about the wedding so quickly. He wonders what evil he committed to deserve a marriage like this. As the musicians and dancers enter the square, Lakunle yells at them to go home, since nobody's getting married.

Sidi enters the square, dressed beautifully and carrying a bundle and the magazine. The crowd goes silent in awe of her beauty as she approaches Lakunle and hands him the magazine. She says her fingers weren't strong enough to tear the magazine up and she tells the crowd it's time to go. Turning back to Lakunle, she tells him that he's invited and can come too. Lakunle, in awe of her beauty, says that of course he's invited since he's the groom.

Sidi looks surprised and asks if Lakunle really thought she'd marry him after sleeping with Baroka. She asks how she could possibly choose a younger man after experiencing the wonders of an older man. Lakunle tries to stop her, but Sidi shoves him to the ground and says that Baroka gave her the strength of his age. She says that when Lakunle is 60, he'll certainly be long dead.

Sidi kneels before Sadiku and asks Sadiku to bless her fertility. Sadiku does and accepts Sidi's offered bundle. Sidi stands, turns to the musicians, and asks them to sing her to Baroka's home. The musicians take up a festive song and everyone in the market dances. A young woman teases Lakunle and dances suggestively in front of him. He chases her. Sadiku tries to block his way, but Lakunle evades her and continues to pursue the girl. Sidi and the musicians sing and dance.