Identity of the African Woman in Ngugi Wathiongo’sThe River Between (1965) and Alice Walker’s Possessing the Secret of Joy (1992).
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Date
2023
Authors
Timezouert Karima
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Université Mouloud Mammeri Tizi Ouzou
Abstract
This present dissertation is a comparative study of two literary works: Ngugi Wa Thiongo’s The River Between (1965) and Alice Walker’s Possessing the Secret of Joy (1992). This study aims to show how the two authors treat the same issue of female circumcision and how it informs the identity of the African women. To achieve our goal, we have relied on Sigmund Freud’s famous work Beyond the Pleasure Principle 1920, where Freud introduced his Trauma theory, suggesting that traumatic experiences could lead to mental distress. He explores the idea of the repetition compulsion, where individuals unconsciously repeat traumatic events. Regarding the id, ego, and superego, these are components of the psychic apparatus. In trauma Freud highlighted conflicts between these elements, influencing psychological responses to distressing events. In the first chapter, we initiate with an analysis of an African writer Ngugi Wa Thiongo in The River Between how circumcision contributes to the identity of an African woman. According to Ngugi the practice is considered as necessary for the preservation of tribal group and it is crucial to the maintenance of cultural identity. Although circumcision harms women physically and psychologically, Ngugi concealed this and tries to present the best image of this ritual. The second chapter studies how Alice Walker’s Possessing the Secret of Joy depicts that circumcision is performed to control women’s sexuality, and considered as a process of violence, inhumanity done to women’s body. She focused on both psychological and physical violence caused by the performance of circumcision of women. In the last chapter, through the analysis of Ngugi Wa Thionogo’s and Alice Walker’s works, our work concludes with the similarities and differences between The two novels “ River Between” and “Possessing The Secret of Joy”, and how the two authors treat the same issue of female circumcision with two different perspectives.
Description
46p. ; (+CD-Rom)
Keywords
Ngugi Wa Thiongo’s The River Between (1965), Alice Walker’s Possessing the Secret of Joy (1992), Female Circumcision, psychological and physical violence, power of tradition, women oppression, identity, trauma, Sigmund Freud’s Beyond the Pleasure Principle (1920).
Citation
General and Comparative Literature