Maame

Money is an important motif in Maame because financial stress exacerbates Maddie’s mental health. Making money is a constant struggle because she has jobs that don’t pay well and her father’s deteriorating health requires professional care; furthermore, her mother relies on her for money. Maddie ends up supporting both parents when she should be saving money for her own future. Her happiness is complicated by money because she doesn’t believe a lucrative job will necessarily make her happy. She doesn’t see money itself as a goal, despite her mother, an immigrant, raising her to think otherwise for the family’s sake. Maddie is temporarily freed from financial stress when her father leaves her 50,000 pounds in his will. This money is symbolic of his appreciation of her sacrifices, giving her an opportunity to pursue her own passions.

Maddie is supposed to bake a birthday cake for her father, a gesture that signifies how much she loves him. It symbolizes her role as his carer, someone who celebrates him even in his lowest moments. However, she chooses a night out with Jo and Cam over staying home to bake the cake, certain she’ll do it later. By procrastinating, Maddie is choosing one life—her own—over another.