Can something be bad and good at the same time? Can we give justification to horrible actions? What does it take to change a person? Cell One by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie raises all of these questions yet leaves it to the reader to come up with an answer.
The story takes place in Nigeria, a country known for its high rates of crime. Although he is the son of a well-to-do and educated family, Nnamabia is not a model citizen of Nigeria. He is a thief, a liar, a cult (gang) member, and maybe even a murderer. Nothing his family does seems to make him change his ways. So what does it take?
After a shooting occurs on a university campus, Nnamabia is imprisoned for possible involvement. But the police are no better than the gangs. They humiliate, beat, and even kill prisoners.
However, it is exactly this injustice that eventually has an impact on Nnamabia and changes him in a way that his parents never could.
After witnessing an innocent elderly father get beaten and humiliated by the prison guards for a crime committed by his son, Nnamabia speaks up. Annoyed at his audacity, the guards cease Nnamabia and take him to the notorious "Cell One" -- where many prisoners emerged only as corpses. When Nnamabia is finally released, he is bruised, beaten, and mentally changed.
So was this injustice justifiable? In the end one could argue that it was. After all Nnamabia was finally changed.
It's scary to think that a process so brutal actually has positive results.
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