Structure

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s short story “Chinasa” starts in medias res with a memory the narrator has about her life during the war. The story follows a linear structure, recounting events from the narrator’s life during the war and her current life, forty years later.

The beginning presents the harsh reality of war:

I think it was January because the soil was parched and the dry Harmattan winds had coated my skin and the house and the trees with yellow dust. (...) I was never sure of dates during the war. (...) When I heard the sounds – Boom! Boom! – I was sitting on the verandah of the house I shared with two families.

This beginning shows how war is unpredictable and that it can distort reality. It also captivates the reader, making them wonder what is ...