The Death of Vivek Oji

Osita, Vivek’s cousin and lover, is plagued by apprehension, fear, anger, and internalized anti-gay bias in the form of self-hatred and revulsion at others’ “suspect” behavior. Though he denies his attraction to Vivek at first, Osita eventually reaches for Vivek as a metaphorical safety net, increasingly leaning on Vivek to validate his sense of self through the recognition of his true sexuality; the narrative never gives a firm label for Osita, but his desire for men is clearly understood.

Osita’s narrative drives much of the novel’s mystery as it indicates that Osita has not been wholly truthful about his relationship with Vivek or the circumstances of his death. In the beginning of the novel, Osita is characterized as hypermasculine, prone to aggression, and threatened by Vivek’s ambiguous sexuality. Though the narrative hints that Osita is attracted to Vivek during childhood, this attraction is not fully confirmed until the sex scene between Osita and Vivek in Chapter 13. Osita’s apprehension and fear about his own sexual orientation being fully exposed partly motivates his secrecy around the circumstances of Vivek’s death, though Osita insists that part of his secrecy is also to protect Kavita.

As the novel develops, Osita emerges as a foil for Vivek; While Vivek is increasingly committed to being authentic, Osita is increasingly committed to hiding who he truly is. His only relief from this suffocating secrecy is in his relationship with Vivek. When Vivek dies, the narrative implies that Osita might finally seek a place where he can be his true self. As Osita leaves Vivek’s grave, Vivek’s silver Ganesh charm in his hand, he says that he will leave “to somewhere I could put his charm around my neck and wear it every day” (273), which indicates that Vivek’s death has inspired him to embrace his sexuality.

Kavita is introduced to the reader as a grieving mother, obsessed with finding out what happened to her son, Vivek. In retrospect, the reader sees her as a kind and caring parent, concerned about Vivek’s wellbeing and conflicted over Vivek’s growing embrace of his femininity. Kavita serves as the middle ground between Vivek’s friends, who encourage him to be himself, and Vivek’s family, who disapprove of Vivek’s transgression of traditional gender presentation. When Vivek grows out his hair, Kavita wonders if he is ill. However, she also helps him take care of his hair, running coconut oil through it. Kavita is also marked by her resilience and determination, from relentlessly investigating Vivek’s death to suppressing her mounting grief over Ahunna’s death over the years.

Kavita deeply changes after she finds out that Vivek had been wearing dresses and going to market as a woman. At first, she blames Vivek’s friends, claiming that Vivek was “sick” and that they took advantage of him. Later, however, she expresses regret at not encouraging Vivek to be his true self and commissions a headstone that acknowledges Vivek’s adopted name, Nnemdi. She understands that her failing as a mother was her rejection of her child, not her inability to protect him from anti-gay, anti-trans hostility.

Mary and Ekene are Vivek’s aunt and uncle. After Mary marries Ekene, Chika is briefly infatuated with Mary and acted upon it, much to Mary’s dismay. Soon after this exchange, Chika meets and becomes engaged to Kavita, an Indian-born young woman whose family is fractured over the caste, or social standing, of her father. Mary and Ekene provide much complexity and conflict to the family setting, and their characters’ functions largely involve illustrating the virulent prejudice of the milieu. Moreover, their hostile conservative posture explains some of their son’s, Osita’s, self-hatred and internalized anti-gay sentiment.

Ekene often expresses his disgust and disturbance over Vivek’s long hair and soft nature, making comments to Chika and Kavita that they should enforce more masculinity. Over time, and as a result of a number of devasting miscarriages, Mary becomes increasingly religious. This religious fervor is something that her close extended family simply tolerates, until the day that Mary’s church congregation beats Vivek. When Kavita confronts Mary about the beating, Mary is unremorseful and insists that Kavita return Vivek to church so that the congregation can fully expel the demons. Mary’s violent religious extremism and Ekene’s patriarchal attitudes represent the threat of the outside world and how others might see Vivek as sick or dangerous.