Fhalinn Samuels Mrs. Reynolds Adv. English 9 27 February 2023 The Merciless Ones Book Report The Merciless Ones by Namina Forna is about our protagonist, Deka, who is the Nuru of the Gilded Ones. Deka separates from the family she once knew in her home, Irfrut. When her blood ran gold she was proclaimed as an alaki, female warriors who serve the Gilded Ones instead of Oyomo, the god common to her home. Deka believes that her true calling is as the daughter of the goddesses, The Gilded Ones, and rebels against the laws of Oyomo. As Deka proceeds to battle against Oyomo and his warriors, she realizes that not everything is as it seems. She finds out about the deception of the Gilded Ones, who may not be her true mothers. Deka questions if Oyomo and The Gilded Ones may both be false gods. In this novel, Deka will discover her true identity and save her home from the fallen gods. The main theme in The Merciless Ones is that names give things power because titles give false gods strength, labels allow identification, and names can create individuality or division. Moreover, Deka, the protagonist, and the gods, the antagonists, are major …show more content…
The Gilded Ones exalted themselves upon alaki while The Idugu were venerated by jatu warriors and the majority of Otera. With one group of people glorifying female gods and the other group praising the male gods, there was a feud between which god was true or superior. The Gilded Ones and The Idugu were overcome by loathing emotions. Their resentment for each other made them both considered false gods. “Names are what give things power… If that is true, I already have a new name for myself, a new title: the Angoro, slayer of the gods”(Forna 453). In conclusion, Deka has found her new calling as the Angoro, and she is ready for her next battle against the