Trauma of Procreation and Masculinity in Flora Nwapa’s Efuru

Abstract

Many African novelists have portrayed African women’s fight for existence in different novels. These include prose works by pioneer female novelists like Flora Nwapain Efuru, Buchi Emecheta in the Joys of Motherhood and Bessie Head in A Question of Power. There are also works by contemporary female novelists like Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie in Purple Hibiscus and Yvonne Vera in Butterfly Burning. Many male novelists like Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o in A Grain of Wheat also portray the female agency. Through their literary works, these writers protest against patriarchal dominance, while considering women’s roles within the society. This paper explored the femininity bigotry in the African novel, through a re-examination of Nwapa’s Efuru. The specific objectives are to: identify some core traumatic societal conditions facing Efuru as a female character in the novel; examine their impact on her life; and analyse her strategies in response to these challenges. With a descriptive qualitative research method that involves a close reading and interpretation of primary data drawn from Efuru, the study verified women’s place in the society. The criterion for selecting the text hinged on its components of painful problems facing women. The study relied on feminist study prototype, particularly the Nego-Feminism model, propounded by Obioma Nnaemeka. The method helped to identify the traumatic conditions facing female characters in the novel; enhanced the evaluation of their impact and sustained the analysis of the strategies used by the characters in facing the challenges. Analysis and discussion did not heavily depend on external factors like author’s intention. From the findings, the study concluded that feminist confrontations are part of the wider gender tragedy rooted in the fabrics of society. Efuru is portrayed as a woman particularly destroyed by the lopsided norms of her society. This is also true of her mother or Ogonim her girl-child who dies in babyhood. The fight for women’s survival is synonymous with that for societal survival, as what affects them equally affects the family and the society. Notably, African women address societal conflicts in diverse peaceful manners. Most African feminists prefer labels like ‘Motherism’, ‘Womanism’, and ‘Womanist’ which highlight strategies of avoidance of confrontation or rebellion, give-and-take disposition (‘no-ego’) in a patriarchal society. This trend justifies the use of the Nego-Feminism model in this study.