Jacinta Warĩĩnga

Jacinta Warĩĩnga—or Warĩĩnga, as she is known throughout most of the novel—is the protagonist and heroine of Devil on the Cross. Her experiences and actions act as bookends to this novel, as both its opening and closing scenes. When the novel begins, Warĩĩnga is distraught and on the verge of committing suicide. When the novel ends, she is calm, confident, and willing to use violence towards others in defense of her body and beliefs.

As the novel unfolds, the reader learns about Warĩĩnga’s past. Warĩĩnga, who was a good student and once dreamed of becoming an engineer, became involved in an affair with a man known in the novel principally as the Rich Old Man. He gave her presents and took her for joy rides in his expensive car. When Warĩĩnga became pregnant, he ditched her, alleging...