Yoke 84- End

During the second part of the book, Emechata gets into the theme of her novel "Double Yoke". The relationship between Ete Kamba and Nko begins to strain when they start attending the same school. Nko is very lucky and privileged to attend Unical, but Ete on the other hand, feels reluctant to share the same feelings. Throughout the entire story, Ete Kamba is constantly battling his stereotypical thoughts for women in that they should stay in the households and tend to the family and follow the father's rules rather than pursue a higher education. Ete Kamba also feels threatened by Nko because she is at the same school as he is and he fears that she might become "just as smart" as he.
Nko is struggling emotionally because she feels reluctant to pursue a higher education if it means to stray Ete Kamba away from her. And at the same time she needs to get her degree in order to bring pride and accomplishment to her village and family. In a way Nko feels that she is in a Catch 22 because her choices are pursue a higher degree and earn a degree, or stay faithful to Ete Kamba and become the ordinary housewife. In this part of time Nko states that she wants the 'Double Yoke", meaning she wants the best of both worlds.
Professor Ikot plays a huge role in the novel. He is the key person that sucessfully destroys Nko's relationship with Ete Kamba, and at the same time, changes Ete Kamba's style of thinking toward's women. After taking advantage of Nko and taking her innocence, Ikot is savagely beaten up by Ete Kamba and his friends. In a way, Ete Kamba is doing justice and most readers would enjoy reading this part of the novel in that justice was served. But one must also have sympathy Nko, because she was forced to give up her innocence to a person that's in a position of power. One must look at the situation in another way because if Nko didn't give what the professor wanted, she could have easily been dismissed from school based on just her academic performance. It was tough reading this section because knowing how some students across the world are trapped and forced into doing unethical things in order to survive.
In the last parts of the novel the reader is taken back to the present with Ete Kamba and Prof. Bulewao. She calls him into her office to discuss his paper and asks him why he hasn't married Nko. At first Nko wildly refuses but Bulewao forces him to acknowledge the other side of the situation in that Nko was forced into losing her innocence and the lack of communication forced their relationship of the right track. By looking at it from a different angle, Ete Kamba realizes how wrong he has been on his ideals of women, and the author leaves the reader on a good not in that Ete Kamba leaves school to support his love during her darkest hours.