Women and transformation : a study of the perceptions of women in selected novels by Bessie Head and Ngugi wa Thiong'o

Abstract

In my thesis I have endeavoured to evaluate, within the context of the increasingly important position assigned to African literature in general (and the novel in particular), the dominant roles played by Bessie Head and Ngugi in establishing and cementing this genre, all with a special focus on the two writers' significant contribution concerning the theme under discussion: women and transformation. The need for this study has been proved because although various aspects surrounding this debate have in fact been investigated in isolation, no systematic study of any magnitude has been undertaken in this field. It has evolved that there exist significant similarities but also considerable differences in Head's and Ngugi's portrayal of women in postcolonial twentieth century fiction concerning African females and change. It has also become obvious that the cultural, religious, educational, social, political and traditional backgrounds of Head and Ngugi, respectively, have shaped their views of the "Other", or of the oppressed in general and women in particular. Both Head and Ngugi must be viewed as writers who place a high premium on womanism, in other words, they have shown themselves as champions of especially sexual and racial freedom for all women. Head, however, becomes increasingly autobiographical in her articulation of her female protagonists' struggle to realize their own individuality in a traditionally male-dominated, sexist and racist postcolonial society. Ngugi, on the other hand, lends lo become politically biased in expressing his Marxist social, political and economic doctrines to the detriment of his artistic achievement. This study has also revealed significant differences pertaining to the two authors' views on transformation and a sense of belonging. While the driving force behind Ngugi's depiction of change is undeniably situated in his unflinching love

for his country Kenya, including the liberation of her indigenous people from all forms of exploitation and oppression, Head's quest is much more restricted. Her own personal striving for a sense of belonging may be detected mainly in her female protagonists' struggle to come to terms with their often hostile spiritual and physical surroundings. Both Head and Ngugi succeed in convincingly portraying female characters in a rapidly changing world. These two writers successfully employ apposite literary devices to articulate their concerns centring on women. However, this study has demonstrated that Ngugi is a more accomplished literary craftsman than Bessie Head, a fact to which his wider international critical acclaim and popularity testify. An examination of his portrayal of women and change against a developing African country reveals him as an exceptionally talented and conscious novelist, a novelist who confidently plays with language and relevant stylistic devices to roam widely, while simultaneously focusing on detail. An outstanding aspect of Ngugi's strength as a novelist is his virtuoso use of irony. Although his ironic tone increases with his scathing revelation of exploitation in Petals of Blood and Devil on the Cross, it cannot be regarded as excessive in the light of his personal suffering as a result of oppression. Bessie Head's novels, it is maintained, lend themselves more than adequately to comparison and contrast with those of one of the doyens of African literature, Ngugi wa Thiong'o, even though she might be generally considered to be somewhat less accomplished in her literary achievement.