Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
Children are supposed to represent a woman's highest achievement. As such, each Nigerian woman longs for children. The more children a woman has, the richer the people see her. But we learn that children are a double-edged sword. In order to be taken seriously in society, a woman must have children. Without children, she is deemed a failed woman. Yet once she has children, her life becomes an unending drudgery. So children represent joy and happiness, yet also pain and sorrow.