Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi Book Analysis Essay Example

Homegoing is a novel written by Yaa Gyasi about two half-sisters and their descendants. It includes the character's individual stories starting with Effia and Esi. The sisters live two different lives of hardship following their generational stories and changes over the years. It talks about dark topics during the time it took place. Yaa Gyasi uses episodic stories about the slave trade (and slave history) throughout the centuries, which shows her use of historical fiction, unique storytelling, and structure.

The first sister, Effia, shows the beginning of the slave trades, ending with her pregnancy with a white man she married in the castle. The following story starts with Esi, who was captive in a location called "the dungeon" and later reveals how she ended up there. Accordingly, you start seeing the contrast with Effia. Which then reveals a plot twist of them being sisters. This grasps the readers into the novel, making them continue reading the generations to come.

Starting from Effia to Esi, Quey to Ness, James to Kojo, and lastly, Abena. Their stories show the evolution of slave history and the effects societal inequity had on each of them surrounding Africa and Europe. Given that it presents historical fiction based on our history and what people back then probably have dealt with, it talks about the gruesome and harsh times of slavery, telling the reader the lasting impact of fire.

Throughout the novel, fire is a metaphor for pain. The slave trade was participated by half of the family as a business, and it affected the other half (seeing how they were slaves). Both were hurting from this fire and haunted by the fear of it. The following quote foreshadows the whole story and theme using the symbol fire; "He knew then that the memory of the fire that burned, then fled, would haunt him, his children, and his children’s children for as long as the line continued." This metaphor adds value to Yaa Gyasi's storytelling throughout the parallels in the novel.  

The layout shows the episodic stories that Yaa Gyasi uses to hook or intrigue the readers. The way she wrote Homegoing makes the story unique compared to many others. It makes the series of stories interconnect, due to that narrative, helps the plot become enticing. Yaa Gyasi Homegoing structure tells an engrossing narrative using its genre.