Through the course of the story, she learns that her otherness is valuable and must be embraced and not rejected. Early in the novel, we see Sunny struggling against her otherness. In Akata Witch the significance centers on Sunny’s identity. This is the “why do we care?” point that editors sometimes make. My own interpretation of the difference between the two is that the hero’s journey is what happens, whereas the moral argument plot structure is about the significance of what happens. This plot structure parallels the hero’s journey, but differs in important ways. In The Anatomy of Story, Truby presents a plot structure that exists to prove the moral argument. This post definitely contains spoilers, so if you haven’t yet read both books, continue reading at your own risk. Akata Witch is a rich case study for seeing how this works in practice.īoth books are excellent and worth reading in their own right. In chapter 5 of his book The Anatomy of Story, John Truby talks about how to scaffold a story with plot structure and characters that all support a moral argument. She and her new friends must pool their talents to stop Black Hat Otokoto from ending the world. Little by little, she makes friends who also have magic and who help her find the best within herself. Then she makes a discovery that makes her even more of an outcast – she has magical powers. Her albino skin makes her “other” in her new community. Sunny, who recently moved from the US to Nigeria, is struggling to fit in. Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor is the story of a girl who must embrace her otherness in order to save the world.

Nnedi okorafor akata