sense of power Sidi says I am greater than the living god among men She begins to think that she is more important than anyone else in the village She proudly declares that she is more important than the powerful Bale of the village Baroka because of her fame Sidi s Vanity While Sidi s confidence is admirable it also turns into vanity She becomes overly focused on her beauty and her new status after seeing her photographs This vanity blinds her to the dangers around her especially Baroka s cunning For example when Baroka sends Sadiku to propose marriage on his behalf Sidi mocks him Sidi calls him an old man Sidi says I am young and brimming he Baroka is spent I am the twinkle of a jewel She believes that her beauty gives her complete control over Baroka However her pride leads to her downfall when Baroka tricks and rapes her Sidi s Innocence and Naivety Sidi is also innocent and inexperienced She does not understand Baroka s trickery Baroka spreads the false rumor of losing his sexual ability Baroka laments having lost his manhood I am withered and unsapped When Sadiku convinces Sidi she decides to visit Baroka to mock his manhood This shows her naivety because she does not realize how clever and manipulative Baroka can be Her lack of experience makes her vulnerable to Baroka s tricks Baroka rapes her Sidi s Relationship with Others Sidi s interactions with the other characters in the play reveal different sides of her personality Sidi enjoys teasing Lakunle a modern schoolteacher for his awkwardness and his attempts to appear modern She refuses to marry him because he will not pay her bride-price She believes marrying without her bride-price would make her a laughing object in the village She tells Lakunle Will you make meA laughing-stock After being tricked by Baroka Sidi ultimately chooses Baroka for marriage Sidi as a Symbol In the play Sidi represents more than just a character she symbolizes the beauty and innocence of traditional African culture Her photographs in the magazine also show how modernization can lead to objectification Sidi becomes an object of desire Just as a jewel can be owned Sidi becomes a prize that both Baroka and Lakunle compete for Baroka wants her as a new wife to add to his harem Lakunle wants to marry her without paying bride-price to prove his Western education Sidi chooses Baroka over Lakunle simply because he is more powerful Here Soyinka critiques shallow modernization represented by Lakunle He suggests that modernization if not used properly cannot bring positive change to African society To wrap up Sidi is confident proud and beautiful but also innocent and naive Through Sidi Soyinka shows how beauty and pride can both empower and harm someone in a world full of manipulation and competition