Trauma and Womanism in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun (2006) and Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing (2016): A Postcolonial Reading
Loading...
Date
2022
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Mouloud Mammeri University
Abstract
The present research paper aims to study and analyze Chimamanda NgoziAdichie “Half of a Yellow Sun “(2006) and Yaa Gyasi “Homegoing” (2016) from a postcolonial perspective. The objective of this dissertation is to show the impact of colonialism on the colonized people and how women are affected by Colonialism in both novels. To achieve our purpose, we have relied on Frantz Fanon’s postcolonial theory developed in his works“Black Skin White Masks”(1952) and“The Wretched of the Earth”(1961); and Alice Walker’s Womanist theory developed in her works “The Color Purple” (1982) and “In Search of our Mother's Garden: Womanist Prose”(1983). We have divided our work into two chapters. The first chapter deals with Trauma of the colonized people. Both novels explore the effects of British colonial rule and subsequent independence struggle, depicting it as a source of oppression, cultural eradication, and social inequality. "Half of a Yellow Sun"(2006) is set during the Biafran Nigerian civil war, while "Homegoing"(2016) spans several generations following the descendants of two sisters. The second chapter is devoted to the representation of womanist perspectives via its different concepts. In Chimmamanda’s novel the strong bond between the sisters is portrayed, highlighting love, support, while in Gyasi’s novel despite the physical separation of the sisters, their stories describe the interconnectedness of their lives and the importance of familial links. The study has revealed that both Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Yaa Gyasi through their works report real events of Colonialism and demonstrate how the colonized people are traumatized from colonial domination and its oppression. The research also pictures the complexities of sisterhood and the ways in which female characters navigate their experiences, motivations, and resilience in the face of immense hardships.The authors explore culture and the human condition, delving into the complexities of the past and their impact on the present. Finally, we have concluded that both “Half of a Yellow Sun” (2006) and “Homegoing” (2016) tackle the same issue of trauma and womanism
Description
59p. ; 30cm(+CD-Rom)
Keywords
Colonialism, Oppression, Resistance, Resilience, Sisterhood, Trauma, Womanism
Citation
Comparative Literarure