This paper, the writer tries to analyze a prose, entitled “The Girl Who Can “ written by – Ama AtaAidoo. The analysis will more focused on character and feminism.

1. Character and Feminism analysis in
the “The Girl Who Can – Ama Ata
Aidoo”
By Yolanda Ayu Belia
13020114120003

2. Abstract
• This paper, the writer tries to analyze a prose,
entitled “The Girl Who Can “ written by – Ama
Ata Aidoo. The purpose of this paper is to analyze
about character and feminism. This analysis
include the intrinsic and extrinsic elements. This
research uses tekstual, hypertekstual, and
cybertekstual. And also the writer uses close
reading methods.
• Keyword : Feminism, The Girl Who Can, Intrinsic,
Extrinsic, Ama Ata Aidoo.

3. 1. Introduction
The Girl Who Can is a short story about
female characters, women's needs and issues.
The writer, Ama Ata Aidoo also analyze about
African women's struggle to find their rightful
place in society.

4. 2. Methodology
a. To analyze the character in The Girl Who Can
by Ama Ata Aidoo
b. To analyze about feminism in The Girl Who Can
by Ama Ata Aidoo.
3. Research Object
Research objective are the result sought by
the researcher at the end of the research process,
i.e. what the reseacher will be able to achieve at
the end of the research study.

5. • 4. Biography
• Ama Ata Aidoo, in full Christina Ama Ata Aidoo (bornMarch 23, 1942,
Abeadzi Kyiakor, near Saltpond, Gold Coast [now Ghana]) Ghanaian
writer whose work, written in English, emphasized the paradoxical
position of the modern African woman. Aidoo began to write seriously
while an honours student at the University of Ghana (B.A., 1964). She
won early recognition with a problem play, The Dilemma of a
Ghost(1965), in which a Ghanaian student returning home brings his
African-American wife into the traditional culture and the extended
family that he now finds restrictive. Their dilemma reflects Aidoo’s
characteristic concern with the “been-to” (African educated abroad),
voiced again in her semiautobiographical experimental first novel, Our
Sister Killjoy; or, Reflections from a Black-Eyed Squint (1966). Aidoo
herself won a fellowship to Stanford University in California, returned to
teach at Cape Coast, Ghana, and subsequently accepted various visiting
professorships in the United States and Kenya.
•

6. 5. Discussion
Discussion of the elements here is focussed on the
characteristic (intrinsic elements) and Feminism
(extrinsic elements).
a. Characteristic
· I (Adjoa)
She is a girl that born in Hasodzi, Ghana. She life with
her mother (Maami) and her grandma (Nana). When
she was born, she have a problem with her legs.
Maami and Nana always disputing and debating about
her legs everyday. Adjoa is a cheerful girl. She never
give up whenever she has a problem with her legs.

7. • Nana
The characters of Nana is ignorant, a little
offened, and also always complain and disputing
about Adjoa’s legs without looking what the
Adjoa’s feeling. She is an egoistic girl.
• Maami
She was someone who still patient when Nana
always disputing and debating about daughters’s
legs. She always give motivation for Adjoa.

8. • b. Feminism
• Ama Ata Aidoo's collection of short stories: The Girl Who Can is a
creative work that could be justifiably described as woman-
centred in a progressive sense. In it she foregrounds female
characters, women's needs and issues. The collection seems to
have fulfilled Molara Ogundipe-Leslie's requirements for the
African female writer to be committed ‘as a writer, as a woman
and as a Third World person’ (1994). Aidoo herself has added
commitment as an African nationalist to the list (ibid). A keen
analysis of the stories reveals yet another criterion which includes
the common concerns basic to all women’s movements
worldwide: understanding patriarchal ideology and power,
rejecting socially constructed dichotomies and dualism,
demonstrating solidarity with women, and affirming women’s
agency (Antrobus 2004).

9. 6. Conclusion
In the end of this story, the problems
about Adjoa’s legs is resolved. She has
been win the competition in her
school. Never mind that the girl who have a
problem with her legs can win the cup for
the best all-round junior athlete. But Adjoa prove
it. She was very
enthusiastic. And finally, Nana apologized
and realized about her ridicule towards Adjoa.