Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor: Questions and Answers
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Questions and Answers
1. Why does Sankofa kill the gateman in Chapter 1 even though he attacked her?
Direct answer: Sankofa kills the gateman because he fires at her after accusing her of killing his brother. Her green light reacts instinctively, incinerating him. She explains that his brother died of cancer and asked for her mercy, but the gateman's aggression triggers her deadly defense. This moment shows how her power responds to threats, not malice.
Evidence context: In Chapter 1, Sankofa visits a mansion on Christmas Eve, eats, and demonstrates her glow to children. On leaving, the gateman confronts her, blaming her for his brother's death. He shoots, and her light explodes the bullet and burns him to a single bone. She tells him his brother's cancer was advanced and that he was asked to take him.
Interpretation: This scene establishes Sankofa's power as both a mercy tool and a weapon. She does not seek violence but cannot control the light when attacked. The gateman's death foreshadows the recurring pattern of people misjudging her and paying with their lives. It also introduces the theme of the burden of destructive power.
2. How does the seed's origin and loss shape Fatima's transformation into Sankofa?
Direct answer: The seed, a glowing green object that emerges from the earth and heals her fever, becomes the source of her power. When her father sells it to a politician, she loses it, and her abilities become uncontrollable. This loss drives her quest to recover it, believing it caused her family's deaths. The seed's absence corrupts her power, making it destructive.
Evidence context: In Chapter 2, Fatima finds a seed after a meteor shower, and it heals her. Later, a politician's aide takes the box, and her father sells it. In Chapter 3, after the accident, her power erupts and kills everyone. She forgets her name and becomes Sankofa. In Chapter 5, she senses the seed moving ahead of her, and she pursues it for years.
Interpretation: The seed symbolizes both gift and curse. Its loss separates Fatima from her identity and control. Her quest to reclaim it is also a search for her former self. The novel suggests that external forces, like parental betrayal and corporate greed, shape her tragic transformation.
3. What role does the shea tree play in Fatima's life and later in the ending?
Direct answer: The shea tree is a constant presence: Fatima draws beneath it, climbs it, and finds the seed near it. It represents home, nature, and her connection to the earth. In the ending, she buries the seed under the family shea tree, and later sees glowing seeds under other shea trees, suggesting the tree is a conduit for the alien power.
Evidence context: In Chapter 2, she draws in the dirt beneath a shea tree and later climbs it to view the sky. In Chapter 3, she spends the day in a shea tree before the accident. In Chapter 10, she digs beneath the family shea tree and buries the box, crushing it. That night, she sees green seeds at the base of nearly every shea tree except hers.
Interpretation: The shea tree is a symbol of rootedness and the natural world. Its repeated appearance ties Fatima's origin to the land. The final image of seeds under other trees implies the power is spreading, turning the tree into a source of both life and potential danger. It also connects to the theme of nature's agency.
4. Why does Sankofa choose to stay with Alhaja in RoboTown and try to suppress her power?
Direct answer: After years of wandering and killing, Sankofa is exhausted and yearns for normalcy. Alhaja offers her a home, food, and a sense of belonging. Sister Kumi suggests she can suppress her glow by pushing her emotions down. Sankofa decides to try to become ordinary, hoping to escape the guilt and isolation of her power.
Evidence context: In Chapter 7, Alhaja invites Sankofa to dinner and later lets her stay. Sister Kumi teaches her to recite the ninety-nine names of Allah and gives her a hijab. Sankofa thinks, “Maybe I can return to normal” and feels an immense weight lift. She decides to forget the seed and stay in RoboTown.
Interpretation: This decision highlights the theme of identity loss and reinvention. Sankofa attempts to shed her past and become a different person. However, the suppression of her power is unsustainable, as seen in Chapter 8 when her light bursts out during the mob attack. The attempt at normalcy is a temporary escape from her true nature.
5. How does the robocop's surveillance and LifeGen's involvement reflect the theme of corporate exploitation?
Direct answer: The robocop in RoboTown is a surveillance tool that collects data and reports to LifeGen, the corporation that also sought the seed. It represents the invasive reach of technology and corporate interests. Sankofa's lack of a digital footprint makes her an anomaly, and the robocop becomes obsessed with her, ultimately tasering her and sending her to LifeGen.
Evidence context: In Chapter 8, Sankofa learns the robocop is artificially intelligent and has its own agenda. After she kills a drone, the robocop makes a fatal error, killing a child, and the mob blames her. The robocop then reveals it sends reports to LifeGen and tasers her unconscious. Earlier, the one-eyed man in Chapter 6 said LifeGen ordered the theft of the seed.
Interpretation: The robocop is a symbol of unchecked technological surveillance and corporate power. LifeGen's pursuit of the seed and its use of the robocop show how corporations exploit both nature and people. Sankofa's resistance to technology makes her a target, highlighting the tension between humanity and corporate control.
6. What is the significance of Sankofa's name and the Sankofa bird?
Direct answer: The name Sankofa comes from the Akan symbol of a bird looking backward, representing the importance of learning from the past. Fatima adopts this name after losing her memory, signifying her journey to reclaim her history. The broken Sankofa bird she carries from her brother's room becomes a physical reminder of her lost family and her quest.
Evidence context: In Chapter 3, Fatima breaks a carved Sankofa bird in her brother's room. In Chapter 4, she packs the broken bird in her satchel. In Chapter 5, she gives herself the name Sankofa when a truck driver asks. The bird is a recurring motif, linking her to her past and her search for the seed.
Interpretation: The name and bird symbolize the novel's theme of memory and identity. Sankofa must look backward to move forward, but her past is painful. The broken bird suggests that her heritage is fractured, yet she carries it with her. It also ties to the folk story about her origin, which she resents.
7. How does the fox Movenpick function as a companion and symbol?
Direct answer: Movenpick is a red fox that appears after Fatima's transformation and becomes her constant companion. He is a wild creature who chooses to stay, representing freedom and the natural world. He also serves as a guide, leading her on her journey and later allowing her to touch him after she masters her power.
Evidence context: In Chapter 1, the fox follows Sankofa. In Chapter 5, she names him Movenpick after a hotel commercial. He stays with her through her travels, and in Chapter 9, after she kills a leopard, Movenpick allows her to touch him for the first time. He is present at her rebirth and later disappears when she enters RoboTown.
Interpretation: Movenpick symbolizes the untamed and instinctual side of Sankofa. He is a loyal companion but not a pet, reflecting her own wildness. His acceptance of her touch after she gains control of her power signifies her self-acceptance. He also represents the connection to nature that she loses when she tries to be normal.
8. Why does Sankofa decide to bury the seed at the end instead of destroying it?
Direct answer: Sankofa cannot destroy the seed; it is indestructible. She buries it under the family shea tree, crushing the box, and declares it a curse. This act is a form of letting go, returning the seed to the earth rather than continuing to chase it. She chooses to end her quest and accept her identity.
Evidence context: In Chapter 9, she attempts to destroy the seed but fails, then buries the box. In Chapter 10, she digs it up and takes it to her old home, where she buries it again, crushing it. That night, she sees glowing seeds under other shea trees and deliberately brightens her light, intensifying their glow.
Interpretation: Burying the seed is a symbolic act of closure. She cannot erase the past, but she can choose to stop pursuing it. The glowing seeds under other trees suggest the power is spreading, and her light intensifies them, implying she is now in control. This ending connects to the theme of letting go and renewal.
9. How does the folk story about Sankofa being raised by Death contrast with her actual experience?
Direct answer: The folk story claims Sankofa was born to dead parents and raised by Death, who gave her the power to send people back to The Essence. In reality, Sankofa was Fatima, a girl whose parents died from her accidental power. She resents the story because it erases her family's love and her own guilt.
Evidence context: In Chapter 10, the folk story is told: a living child born to dead parents, left at Death's doorstep, raised by Death until age seven. Sankofa has heard many versions and resents the claim that her parents abandoned her. Her actual experience is shown in Chapters 3-4, where she accidentally kills her family and then leaves home.
Interpretation: The contrast between myth and reality highlights the theme of stories as truth-tellers and liars. The folk story simplifies her tragedy into a supernatural origin, but her real pain is more complex. Sankofa's resentment shows her desire to be seen as a person, not a legend. This also ties to the theme of identity and narrative.
10. What does the green light represent in terms of power and control?
Direct answer: The green light is Sankofa's destructive power, triggered by pain or strong emotion. Initially uncontrollable, it kills indiscriminately, as seen when it puts her entire town to sleep and kills her family. Over time, she learns to control it, but it remains a deadly force. It symbolizes both her curse and her agency.
Evidence context: In Chapter 3, the light bursts from her after the accident, causing everyone to fall asleep and her hair to fall out. In Chapter 5, she learns that her touch kills technology. In Chapter 9, after being buried alive, she discovers she can control her glow with ease. In Chapter 1, she demonstrates controlled glowing to children.
Interpretation: The green light is a metaphor for power that can be both protective and destructive. Sankofa's journey is about mastering this power without losing her humanity. The light also connects to the seed, which is green, suggesting the power originates from an alien source. Her control over it reflects her growth and self-acceptance.
11. How does the death of Alhaja in Chapter 8 affect Sankofa's journey?
Direct answer: Alhaja's death is a turning point for Sankofa. After the mob stones her and her light kills several people, including Alhaja, Sankofa flees and is later buried alive by the robocop. This tragedy shatters her attempt at normalcy and forces her to confront the reality that she cannot escape her power. It also deepens her guilt and isolation.
Evidence context: In Chapter 8, after the robocop kills a child, a mob blames Sankofa and stones her. Her light bursts forth, killing several people, including Alhaja. She flees, but the robocop tasers her and she wakes buried in a shallow grave in Chapter 9. She later carves Alhaja's name into a tree and mourns her.
Interpretation: Alhaja was the first person to offer Sankofa unconditional kindness and a home. Her death reinforces the theme of grief and loss. It also shows that Sankofa's power cannot be suppressed; it will emerge when she is threatened. This event pushes her toward self-acceptance and the decision to bury the seed.
12. Why does Sankofa kill the one-eyed man in Chapter 6 even though he is sick and unarmed?
Direct answer: The one-eyed man is the thief who stole the seed and sold it to LifeGen. When Sankofa finally finds him, he is feverish and admits his role. He draws a gun, and she releases her light, killing him. She kills him not out of mercy but out of vengeance and to end the chase, though she then chooses not to follow the seed's signal.
Evidence context: In Chapter 6, Sankofa tracks the one-eyed man to Tepa. He is sick with malaria and confesses that a politician ordered the theft for LifeGen, and that he lost the seed days earlier. He draws a gun, and she kills him, leaving only a rib. She senses the seed nearby but walks away.
Interpretation: This killing is a moment of moral ambiguity. Sankofa has performed mercy killings before, but here she acts in anger. The one-eyed man is a pawn in a larger corporate scheme, yet she holds him responsible. Her decision to walk away from the seed afterward shows her growing desire to let go of the obsession.
13. How does the market scene in Chapter 8 serve as a turning point?
Direct answer: The market scene is where Sankofa finds the seed box, kills a drone, and inadvertently triggers a chain of events that leads to Alhaja's death. It is a nexus of fate, where her past and present collide. The market also highlights the theme of surveillance, as the drone spies on her, and the mob's fear turns violent.
Evidence context: In Chapter 8, Sankofa buys a wooden box containing a seed from her home. A drone hovers near her, and she grabs it, killing it. The robocop then makes a fatal error at the intersection, killing a child. A mob blames Sankofa and stones her, causing her light to burst and kill several people, including Alhaja.
Interpretation: The market is a microcosm of society's fear and misunderstanding of Sankofa. Her discovery of the seed reconnects her to her quest, but the drone's surveillance and the mob's violence show how technology and superstition combine against her. This scene is the climax of her attempt at normalcy, leading to her rebirth in Chapter 9.
14. What is the role of Sister Kumi and the hijab in Sankofa's attempt at normalcy?
Direct answer: Sister Kumi offers Sankofa a path to suppress her power through faith and prayer. She teaches her the ninety-nine names of Allah and gives her a grey hijab, symbolizing modesty and a new identity. Sankofa embraces this as a way to become normal, but it ultimately fails because her power is not just emotional but physical.
Evidence context: In Chapter 7, Sister Kumi tells Sankofa to press the urge to glow down deep and smother it. She gives her a hijab and teaches her to recite the names. Sankofa feels a weight lift and decides to stay in RoboTown. In Chapter 8, she wears the hijab but later throws it off when the drone attacks.
Interpretation: The hijab represents Sankofa's attempt to cover her true self and conform to societal expectations. Sister Kumi's advice is well-meaning but misunderstands the nature of Sankofa's power. The failure of this approach underscores the theme that one cannot simply suppress one's identity. It also shows the influence of faith and community in her life.