In Half of a Yellow Sun, Kainene, Mama, and Olanna define Nigeria’s struggle for nationhood. I argue that Kainene represents the future and Mama, the traditions. As unacceptable extremes, the two are eliminated, leaving Olanna as the allegorical female symbol of nationhood. European-educated Olanna gets caught up in the Civil War, embodying both Kainene’s bravery and Mama’s traditional ways. By the end of the novel, she comes to represent the woman as nation in the new Nigeria.