'The Joys of Motherhood' (1979) Novel Written By Buchi Emecheta : A Brief Reading

Introduction : This blog is written as a response to the Thinking Activity assigned by Yesha Bhatt on topic of the novel 'The Joys of Motherhood' (1979) written by Buchi Emecheta.

'The Joys of Motherhood' is a novel written by Nigerian-born English novelist Buchi Emecheta. The novel was first published 1979. The novel presents the dilemma of accepting new values as against of the traditional ones, and how woman - especially the protagonist Nnu Ego - has to face the societal, physical, and mental problems in colonial period is very well depicted in the novel.

The urbanization, individualism, capitalism, and patriarchy are such important themes along with the other in the novel.

The novel presents the good piece for studying native African culture as employed in the novel. The cultural notions, rituals, and malpractices are the chief imageries presented in the novel.

The Author : Buchi Emecheta :

Buchi Emecheta, in full Florence Onyebuchi Emecheta, (born July 21, 1944, Lagos, Nigeria—died January 25, 2017, London, England), Igbo writer whose novels deal largely with the difficult and unequal role of women in both immigrant and African societies and explore the tension between tradition and modernity.

Emecheta married at age 16, and she emigrated with her husband from Nigeria to London in 1962. She began writing stories based on her life, including the problems she initially encountered in England. These works were first published in 'New Statesman' magazine and were later collected in the novel 'In the Ditch' (1972). That work was followed by 'Second-Class Citizen' (1974), and both were later included in the single volume 'Adah’s Story' (1983). Those books introduce Emecheta’s three major themes: the quests for equal treatment, self-confidence, and dignity as a woman. Somewhat different in style is Emecheta’s novel 'Gwendolen' (1989; also published as 'The Family'), which addresses the issues of immigrant life in Great Britain, as do 'Kehinde' (1994) and 'The New Tribe' (2000). (Source : Britannica)

Q&A :

In this blog, the question of woman's subjugation is discussed with reference to the novel.

Q. : "God, when will you create a woman who will be fulfilled in herself, a full human being, not anybody’s appendage? I was born alone, and I shall die alone. What have I gained from all this?" Why does Nnu Ego say this? Write your views on this.

A. : First, let us apply "deconstructive reading" to understand the quote with Post-Structuralist point of view :

Brief Introduction to Jacques Derrida : Jacques Derrida (1930 - 2004) was the French literary writer and critic who made breakthrough coming in spheres of literary criticism by first introducing the concept of 'Deconstruction' in his famous lecture originally given in French language at John Hopkins University on 21st October, 1966 which later in subsequent year of 1967 was published as the tenth chapter of the book 'Writing and Difference' in English translated by Alan Bass.

The definition of the term 'Deconstruction' according to 'A Glossary of Literary Terms' is : '“Deconstruction,” as applied in the criticism of literature, designates a theory and practice of reading that questions and claims to “subvert” or
“undermine” the assumption that the system of language is based on grounds that are adequate to establish the boundaries, the coherence or unity, and the determinate meanings of a literary text. Typically, a deconstructive reading sets out to show that conflicting forces within the text itself serve to dissipate the seeming definiteness of its structure and meanings into an indefinite array of
incompatible and undecidable possibilities.'

Sir Jacques Derrida has irrevocably asserted that "Language bears within itself the necessity of its own critique." in his essay from the book 'Structure, Sign, and Play in the Discourse of the Human Scineces' originally published in 1966.

"God, when will you create a woman who will be fulfilled in herself,"

The lines can be read in Feminist discourse. This may have the Biblical reference too as the God and His creation that is Eve which may be alluding to that. The creation of woman is the unveiling of womanhood as an individual identity, but not someone's inferior mate.

The comma after the word "God" indicates the frustration brought into the speaker's self by repeating the same appeal time and again.

The fulfillment is desired by the feminine spirit which - although seems a bit possible if looked by spiritual lense - is not possible as the biological fact proves that male and female are connected on grounds of various needs such as physical, mental, emotional, and social as well.

Still the urge to be created states the dependency that has been rooted by Patriarchal society into women's brains that even women are not totally aware of this. Women may like what males do, but sometimes the general liking and disliking patterns are seen to be having patriarchal roots into them.

Patriarchy is generally synonimized as the domination of women but if seen by its connotative meaning, it signifies the dominance of men over not only females but all the means of nourishment ranging from vegetation world to human world.

Transcendental search for individual identity can also be seen in the lines, the way she wishes to be fulfilled within herself shows her selfish will that all humans possess.

The Transcendentalist view of 'Individualism' focuses on the self which is the only mean to acquire true knowledge - the knowledge of the self.

"a full human being, not anybody’s appendage?"

Here in the lines it may be read as that the speaker is allusively referring to the Biblical story of the creation of Eve from the rib of Adam. In the second chapter and from verse from 21 to 23 of King James Version of English Bible there is the reference of how Eve was created to serve and be an appendage to Adam :

21 - And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept:
and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;

22 - And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a
woman, and brought her unto the man.

23 - And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh:
she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

Here if the Deconstructive tool of seeing the binary oppositions deeply rooted in every sphere of life is utilized, we find that Adam is representing the Patriarchy whereas Eve, the victim of Patriarchy. Nnu Ego utters the same thing that she does not eant to live just as a mere appendage to man but she wants to find herself as a free living human being, but not as a woman which is a patriarchal social notion of being woman means to be fertile and meek with necessary qualities which can serve the husband and the family members, the problem faced by most females are on this ground that they somehow fail to fit into this box built by patriarchal societal structure that privileges men over women keeping them always as appendage to their deeds and 'Ardhangini' meaning 'better half' on female's side only if taken with patriarchal reference here in the novel.

"I was born alone, and I shall die alone. What have I gained from all this?"

In the third part of the sentence, once again the Transcendental idea of Individualism is seen. The speaker here seems to be demanding the right of living without any person's interference, especially here that of man's; the demand is itself the sign of slavery, for what is yours can never be demanded as it is yours.

Simone Lucie Ernestine Marie Bertrand de Beauvoir

Pat Heim

Further the sense of self-awareness is alos there as the speaker asks that what she has gained after doing all the expected things by society and yet she is left with nothing that she can like. Women are generally given the metaphor of the great giver in the world. This is something that is fundamentally weakening the human soul of woman and as Simone de Beauvoir has said in her 'The Second Sex' (1949) that "One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman." True problem occurs when women accept this patriarchal notion and even choke the voice of the fellow women who are aware of the patriarchal workings in the society, and that is why Pat Heim in her 'Hardball for Women : Winning at the Game of Business' (1992) cooperatively with Susan K. Golant writes :

"If we want to change the fundamental rules so that we can use our feminine power and win, we need to learn how to rely on other women. Unfortunately, historically, we haven't cooperated with one another. Indeed, often we've been our own worst enemies."

The earth is also given the metaphor of mother nature, why mother but father? This reveals how the psycho-lingustic dynamics are working in patriarchal society. The nature provides all with necessary nourishment products which a mother is expected and situated in house institution in patriarchal society. In this regard, Sherry B. Ortner's essay 'Is Female to Male as Nature Is to Culture?' is remarkable work to study.

Conclusion : In concluding argument, the statement can be made that the sentence, along with the whole novel cries out the females's sentiments as a human's journey, because the very genre of the novel is buildungsroman. The humanness of females establishes the truth that females are never seen as the woman of patriarchal society but to be treated as human being regardless of gender, sex, and here especially race.

Here is an interesting video highlighting the place of women in Igbo community of Nigeria :

Here is the series of the talks given on Feminism by the Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie at Ted, Tedx, and Harvard University of United States of America respectively :

Thank you!

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