This blog is a response to the task assigned by Yesha Bhatt madam, wherein I am analyzing Buchi Emecheta's novel The Joys of Motherhood in light of feminist and neo-feminist theories.
The Joys of Motherhood: A Feminist Analysis
Nigerian novelist Buchi Emecheta's 1979 novel The Joys of Motherhood is a vivid exploration of the arduous experiences of Igbo women and the essence of motherhood. The tale follows the protagonist, Nnu Ego, through her struggles as a woman navigating Nigeria's colonial history, rural peasantry, sexism, and post-colonial realities. Through her experiences, Emecheta demonstrates the hardships experienced by her protagonist and other Igbo women alike, ultimately highlighting the oppressive nature of the Igbo patriarchal system and the realities of the expected maternal roles of these women. Thus, The Joys of Motherhood serves as an example of how feminist theory can be applied to literary works, shedding light on the struggles experienced by women and how their day-to-day lives are shaped by the underlying pressure of sexist systems.
Feminist theory can be used to analyze various aspects of the novel, such as the character of Nnu Ego and the family dynamics required to adhere to the restrictive colonialist and sexist structures of the Igbo society. By dissecting the novel in such a way, feminist theory serves to deconstruct the oppressive patriarchal systems of the Igbo society, highlighting the struggles and hardships of both Nnu Ego and other Igbo women. In order to do this, the paper will first analyze Nnu Ego’s experience as a wife, mother, businesswoman and Imperial captive by delving into the multifaceted facets of her identity. Secondly, the paper will discuss the representation of Nnu Ego’s family and the performance of familial roles within a traditionally feminine environment, emphasizing the ways in which the patriarchal systems colonized the individual identities of the Igbo women.
First, Nnu Ego is a character who is constantly renegotiating her identity within the context of the oppressive Igbo patriarchal structures. As a wife, her life is constantly dictated by her husband and her in-laws, creating a sense of alienation and exploitation in her day-to-day existence. As a devoted wife and mother, it is her duty to fulfill these roles with no sense of individual identity, an experience many Igbo women, including Nnu Ego, have had to endure. In addition, Nnu Ego’s experience as a businesswoman demonstrates how the patriarchal structures of the Igbo society prevent her from achieving her goal of financial independence, underlining the consequences of a system in which women are denied agency. Finally, her captivity to the Imperial forces serves as a direct representation of the colonizer’s power over the Igbo people, demonstrating how the forces of imperialism dictate the lives of Igbo women, ultimately reducing them to subservient beings. Through her unique experiences, Emecheta emphasizes the various ways in which the oppressive Igbo patriarchal systems dictate the daily lives of its women, thus providing a platform to discuss the various facets of feminist theory.
The representation of the family in The Joys of Motherhood serves as an example of the systems of control used to exploit the Igbo women. Nnu Ego’s family is portrayed as a typical Igbo family living in rural Nigeria, with her bearing the burdens of being both a wife and a mother, while her husband is free to move and gain wealth and power. Their relationship is one of subordination, with Nnu Ego deferring to her husband’s decisions and allowing him to make all the financial decisions. This same subordination is extended to Nnu Ego’s children, with her trying to show her love, yet still adhering to the patriarchal expectations of family life, such as the directive to discipline “her daughter”, which is seen by Emecheta as a symbol of power and control. In this way, Emecheta uses the family structure to illustrate the various roles expected of the Igbo women, from being expectant mothers, to taking care of their children, to assisting their husbands. Moreover, by using the family as a platform to express these ideas, Emecheta is emphasizing the ways in which the family serves as a microcosm for the oppressive systems of Igboland, ultimately reinforcing the colonialist and patriarchal forces influencing these women’s lives.
The main female characters struggle to shed the conditioning which forces them to act out roles that bring little fulfilment. With reference to this, study The Joys of Motherhood by applying a feminist theory.
One key aspect of feminist theory that is relevant to the novel is the concept of gender conditioning or the ways in which society imposes certain expectations and behaviours on individuals based on their gender. In The Joys of Motherhood, the main female characters, including Nnu Ego, are conditioned to act out certain roles and behaviours that are prescribed by their culture and society. For example, Nnu Ego is expected to be a good wife and mother, and to prioritize the needs and desires of her husband and children above her own. This conditioning is evident in the way that Nnu Ego sacrifices her own goals and desires to fulfil her role as a mother and wife, even when it leads to her own suffering and unhappiness.
This struggle to shed the conditioning that forces them to act out roles that bring little fulfillment is at the heart of the novel's portrayal of neo-feminism. As a movement, neo-feminism seeks to critique and challenge traditional gender roles and expectations, and to create more equitable and fulfilling ways of being for all genders. In The Joys of Motherhood, this struggle is exemplified by the main female characters, who seek to find agency and fulfillment within a society that is structured by patriarchal norms and expectations.
One way to approach a feminist analysis of The Joys of Motherhood is through the lens of gender conditioning, or the ways in which society imposes certain expectations and behaviors on individuals based on their gender. As feminist scholar, Judith Butler writes, "Gender is not a fact, but a process of signification that produces material effects" (Butler, 1990). In the novel, the main female characters, including Nnu Ego, are conditioned to act out certain roles and behaviors that are prescribed by their culture and society. For example, Nnu Ego is expected to be a good wife and mother, and to prioritize the needs and desires of her husband and children above her own. This conditioning is evident in the way that Nnu Ego sacrifices her own goals and desires in order to fulfill her role as a mother and wife, even when it leads to her own suffering and unhappiness.
For example, Nnu Ego's husband is able to dictate the terms of their marriage and exert control over her life, and the male elders in her community are able to make decisions that affect her and the other women in her village. This dynamic illustrates the ways in which patriarchy can constrain and oppress women, even within a culture that places a high value on motherhood and femininity.
In this way, The Joys of Motherhood offers a nuanced and complex portrayal of the experiences of women in a traditional, patriarchal culture, and the ways in which they seek to challenge and resist these constraints in order to live more fulfilling and autonomous lives. As Nnu Ego and the other female characters struggle to find agency and fulfillment within a society that is structured by patriarchal norms and expectations, they embody the ideals of neo-feminism and offer a compelling portrayal of the ongoing struggle for gender equity.
To conclude, The Joys of Motherhood serves as an example of how feminist theory can be applied to explore the various pressures that the women of Igbo society have to endure. Through Nnu Ego’s experience as a wife, mother, businesswoman and captive to the imperial forces, Emecheta provides an in-depth exploration of these struggles. Additionally, the representation of her family serves as a platform to illustrate the socially dictated roles that Igbo women must adhere to, ultimately highlighting the ways in which these sexist systems colonize the individual identities of the Igbo women. Thus, through this feminist analysis of The Joys of Motherhood, by Buchi Emecheta, much insight can be gained into the struggles and hardships experienced by the women of rural Nigeria who must try to survive in a traditionally masculine world.
Overall, The Joys of Motherhood is a rich and thought-provoking novel that offers a poignant portrayal of the struggles and triumphs of women in traditional, patriarchal culture. Through its portrayal of the main female characters' efforts to shed the conditioning that forces them to act out roles that bring little fulfilment, the novel speaks to the ongoing struggle for gender equity and the enduring relevance of feminist theory.
References:
Butler, Judith. “Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity.” Routledge, 1990.
Emecheta, Buchi. The Joys of Motherhood. Allison & Busby, 1978.
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