We also learn that Veronica is a strong character from the same aforementioned quote, “a lot of responsibility for bringing up the other children had fallen on her”. This quote shows how strong she is as she is able to withstand this metaphorical weight that “had fallen on her”.
We also learn that she does not care for them out of fear of her father beating her, instead she is strong and lives through the beating and possibly cares for her siblings in order to protect them from the same situation. This is then justified as even after her father has “stopped beating her”, she still says “I have to go and cook, my father will be home soon”. This shows how she is caring, has a great sense of responsibility, great family values and is strong. She is strong because she has been tough enough to handle all the work for all these years and that she is strong enough to go back to her home and not just run away, this shows how she respects her culture as well as in the culture at that time women were to stay home and cook.
If a person asks for sympathy, the person is indirectly asking for help. The fact that Veronica never asked for sympathy from Okeke or anyone for what she has to go through and accepts it, shows how strong she is that she does not need anyone’s help to live her life. An example of this is when she clearly says “don’t be sorry for me”. This not only shows that she is strong but also shows how optimistic and grateful she is when she then says “we are managing. God has blessed us with a son. Is that not enough?”
The fact that she considers her new born son a blessing clearly also shows her great family values and love for her son even in times when she lives in the “same hut” since her childhood and is “squatting” as she does not even have a lot of furniture. Someone else in her position might consider the son as a curse in the same position as they know they would not be able to care for it, feed it or treat it as they would like to, but Veronica is not like that, but far better.
Another example of her strength is when Okeke thinks he “saw tears in her eyes as she turned to go”. This shows she is strong by the fact that she didn’t want to show Okeke she is crying and didn’t want him to mistake it for a sign of weakness so before she burst into tears, she “turned to go” so no one sees her in such a position.
Also, the fact that she remains on her point of view when Okeke begins to convince her to go with him from line 40 and onwards, shows how stubborn she is which shows how strong she is by the fact that she remains on her point of view and has a strong will. One example of this stubbornness is “I leave that to others, my own place is here”. This also shows how she respects her traditional life and how loyal she is to her culture that she would rather stay in the village life and do housework as a woman would do at that time.
The final example of her strength is seen when she’s near her death and very weak but still “she tried to sit up”. This shows how she remained strong till her death, physically and emotionally as she doesn’t cry and fear her death. Instead of fearing her death, she accepts it. An example of this is when just before she dies she says “Okeke, I won't live to see tomorrow. Nor do I want to. My husband is dead, and my child also. There is nothing left for me in this world.” This shows how she accepts her death and doesn’t fear it, showing her strength of power of will.
Although she is shown to be strong, at times she is also shown to be quite passive. This is because she is both, she is passive in situations that only affect her, her family relationships and the culture’s acceptance, but she is strong in character and in situations affecting her dear ones.
In contrast to her optimism as mentioned before, Veronica is also viewed as a character that has low self-esteem unambitious character that also has no respect for herself, linking to her passiveness. This can be proven when Okeke travels back to the village where he “found veronica in the same hut she had grown up in.” The fact that she has stayed in the same place as before proves that she has no ambition to go live somewhere else to find a better life like Okeke and her siblings. It can also lead to the conclusion that the reason she has not left is because she has accepted the life that has always lived as the only life for her. Another reason for this is that she believes she is not fit for this life or that her dad has beaten the ambition and self-esteem out of her. This again can be proven when she declines Okeke’s offer to leave and the she “leaves that to others” and that she admits that “my place is here” in the village which could be because she has no education and that she believes she is not fit to learn. Thus is can be assumed that Veronica does not really care for the better life and has no ambitions and that she is content with the life she is living despite her troubling past. This is again linked to how she is passive and yet strong.
In conclusion Veronica’s character is shown to be complicated in the aspect that she is passive yet strong and optimistic as when she does not care what happens to her and that she is not envious of Okeke’s better life. This then also links to how she has no ambitions and has low self-esteem when she declines the offer of leaving the village which in other aspects can be seen as her facing her horrible past again showing her strong character. Veronica’s is also viewed as strong as she holds on to her tradition and accepts her death with a smile. Thus Veronica is viewed as a strong character in other aspects besides herself where she becomes passive and unambitious, giving her a complicated character.