The efficacy of women characters in strategically detonating the given patriarchy in the novel called Nervous Conditions has been examined since the previous week. Here is the remaining interpretation. Enjoy the examination.
As stated in the previous section, Tambu was not happy to get involved in the wedding ceremony. Thus, she expresses her feeling to Babamukuru. Since he was the most respected person, no one was able to disagree with his decisions. It was unexpected and the most crucial attempt of defying his authority from Babamukuru’s point of view. How dare she did say that since he was the only one who provides her good food, clothing, education and other amenities? What was expected of her was to praise him and obey his command. That was why he shouted at her. Let us consider the following extract:
“I am telling you! If you do not go to the wedding, you are saying you no longer want to live here. I am the head of this house. Anyone who defies my authority is an evil thing in this house bent on destroying what I have made” (Dangarembga, 1988, p. 167).
As stated above, Babamukuru did not even try to understand Tambu. He was only imposing what he wanted to be done and acted accordingly. Even if she attended the wedding without her interest accepting his fatherly authority, he punished her because he believed that Tambu was trying to defy his authority. More than words he even abused her physically by beating her since that was a very serious breach of conduct. She mentioned his reaction as follows: “I received fifteen lashes, having turned fifteenth in April. Because of the seriousness of my crime, Anna was given two weeks’ leave and I took over her duties” (Dangarembga, 1988, p. 169).
Instead of confronting him, she was re-examining the situation inside herself. But, when he hit Nyasha, the situation was not the same. Nyasha didn’t show any tolerance. Instead of acting what the society expected in such a situation, Nyasha asked her father to stop hitting her. That was the way of telling her father that he was doing the wrong measure on the happening. She confronted her father saying: “Don’t hit me, Daddy, ‘she said backing away from him. ‘I wasn’t doing anything wrong. Don’t hit me” (Dangarembga, 1988, p. 114).
Unlike Nyasha, Tambu did her best to bring the situation to normal by obeying Babamukuru. She silently received his lashes. She knew it was a wrong way of giving recognition to his charity. She said: “…I accept that I had forfeited my right to Babamukuru’s charity. Taking my suitcases from the top of the cupboard, I began to pack my things” (Dangarembga, 1988, p. 167).
In this way, she mitigated the situation and maintained peace with her uncle. It was only Babamukuru who was talking and shouting, but Tambu kept quiet. The family was not disturbed when it was compared with the clash between Nyasha and Babamukuru.
Tambu and Nyasha both were successful in detonating the patriarchal ideology of their brother in different situations. As it was discussed under negotiation section, Tambu crossed the patriarchal division of labor which was given to Nhamo and her. She strategically persuaded her brother to cut the chicken which was not the job of males. Here, she succeeded in changing his mind. This can help the family to start reconsidering gender roles in the house. This attempt can also alert the rest of the society about gender-based treatment in the community.
As it was mentioned in the previous paragraphs, Nyasha was in confrontation with her father because of her late arrival from party and mainly because of her style of dressing. It was her mother who bought that cloth for her since she was working hard in her exam. When Nyasha was showing the clothes to the family, Chido was warning her not to wear it; otherwise she could face problems from boys. Instead of brooding, Nyasha was fascinated by the style of the dress. This made Chido nervous. Tambu explained the incident as follows:
“In the end she was gracious and joined in the laughter, which made Chido turn serious and tell her that Babamukuru was right-she should make the most of the little decency she had. … Poor Chido! I do believe he felt obliged to carry on the tradition in the normal, analytic male fashion, because when we refuse to be subdued and laughed at him instead, he reverted to his usual lovable self” (Dangarembga, 1988, p. 109).
As the extract shows, the girls were successful in detonating patriarchy in the interaction with their brother. Since they were strategical in identifying the influential approach, they changed Chido’s attitude. As they were strategical in changing the patriarchal attempt of Chido, no one was a loser and by that they labeled themselves equally important as him. Throughout the novel, Chido was not seen challenging the girls again.
Nyasha came to realize that the reason that left her confused was the knowledge that she acquired from books and especially those history books. Because of this knowledge, she could not negotiate with the patriarchal system in her family and the society as a whole. She believed that she can’t accept her subordination in her life. Therefore, she was in dilemma. She became mentally ill before accomplishing her life goal. Tambu narrated this situation as:
“Nyasha was beside herself with furry. She rampaged, shredding her history book between her teeth (‘Their history. ****ing liars. Their bloody lies.’), breaking mirrors, her clay pots, anything she could lay her hands on and jabbing the fragments viciously into her flesh, stripping the bedclothes, tearing her clothes from the wardrobe and trampling them underfoot. ‘They have trapped us. They have trapped us. But I will not be trapped.’ Then as suddenly as it came, the rage passed. ‘I don’t hate you, Dadd,’ she said softly. ‘They want me to, but I won’t. ‘She lay down on her bed. ‘I’m very tired, ‘she said in a voice that was recognizably hers” (Dangarembga, 1988, p. 202).
From this extract, one can understood that since Nyasha has been reading history books, the books that are about white people and their successful stories, she wondered about the strategies that these whites use for dominating and subordinating the indigenous blacks. These books that she was reading might be about how to become effective in booming whites’ interest by systematically and indirectly exploiting the people through the indigenous blacks like her father had been doing in her family and in the society as a whole. It is understood that, it was after realizing this that she associates the books with white domination. Furthermore, what frustrated her was that European education did not equip her with skills necessary to the reality that are necessary to live with her family and the African people. She understood that her father was a tool in the hands of white people. She becomes nervous. Then, she becomes abnormal, and she exhibited her frustration by ramping those books. It means that she finds better to forget about the books than losing her father. Her father whom these facts are talking about; her father whom these books might show the strategies he should use like those colonizers. That is why she hated him. Nyasha says the books she brought from England deceived her. In this regard, Nneameka underlined that “Western education didn’t serve any practical purpose in Africa” (2004, p. 82).
Here, the implication is that Nyasha was represented as an African girl who faced alienation. She also was represented the victim of colonial influence. Besides, she did not know how to cope with patriarchal culture. She did not have the confidence to interact with others strategically. The final outcome was her mental disorder.
From this situation, it can be said that a woman needs to be very active and confident so that she can formulate the best strategical approach in detonating the patriarchal system. As a result things might start changing and gender equality might happen accordingly. Otherwise, the situation might not change but instead might get so complex and victimize women like Nyasha.
There is only one incident that reveals Maiguru’s protest to patriarchy. This was seen when Tambu resisted her uncle’s command to join her parent’s wedding. As it was discussed in the above paragraphs, Babamukuru had forced her to go to the wedding. However, after the ceremony, he punished her with lashes and forced her to take over Anna’s (the house maid’s) duties. Maiguru had intervened as a wife and a relative of Tambu to react against his punishment. But, Babamukuru warned her not be bothered even not to try to come in between his family business. This shocked Maiguru, and she expressed her suppressed anger to his rule as quoted below:
“Yes, she is your brother’s child… But when it comes to taking my money so that you can feed her and her father and your whole family and waste it on ridiculous weddings that are when they are my relatives, too. … I am tired of being nothing in a home I am working myself sick to support. I have had enough” (Dangarembga, 1988, p. 172).
After Maiguru expressed her anger as stated above, she left the house. Thus, Nyasha was happy with Maiguru’s detonation of her father’s patriarchy. This means that Nyasha knew and was disappointed by Babamukuru treatment of her mother. She was appealed of her father’s behavior; she referred to miss her mother than seeing her suffering in the house. But, Maiguru didn’t persevere with her decision. She came back to her house. This shows that this character was not strong enough and confident in detonating Babamukuru’s patriarchy. Since she came back without any promise of Babamukuru that could sound his sympathy, the researcher interpreted the situation as she still accepted male domination and submission of Babamukuru. In addition to that the researcher believed from the characterization of Maiguru that her husband was abusing and dominating her since he had realized her poor potential and confident on such issues
BY MEKDES TAYE (PhD)
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD THURSDAY 5 SEPTEMBER 2024
