Repositioning ‘woman’ in Nwapa’s Efuru and Emecheta’s Joys of Motherhood

Abstract

This paper focuses on Nwapa and Emecheta’s transformative representation of their heroines in Efuru and The Joys of Motherhood, respectively. In these two works, the authors seek to reposition ‘woman’ and inaugurate her as a formidable force of change. They carve female protagonists whose mission is to transform a culture that downplays the role of women by overlooking their value in society. Nwapa parades Efuru as a ‘femme fatale’ empowered by the lake goddess Uhamiri and endorsed by female revolutionaries such as Ajanupu. Emecheta, on the other hand, represents her revolutionary female characters in the form of Ona, long-suffering Nnu Ego alongside Adaku and Kehinde who measure up to women free from male subjugation. These heroines defy various forms of sexism often veiled in patriarchy. There is a deliberate attempt to prolong the lives of these characters in the novels to champion their transformative influence in their villages of origin. Moreover, Emecheta advances the need for the emancipation of African women who still depend on men. By posturing ‘barren’ women in their works, the two authors appear to reject conformity to patriarchal tenets whose view of women is centred on childbearing.