Character Analysis: Summary: Brave Women In Nervous Conditions

Brave Women in Nervous Conditions “Can you cook books and feed them to your husband? Stay at home with your mother. Learn to cook and clean. Grow vegetables." (15) One of the most significant quotes in Tsitsi Dangarembga’s Nervous Conditions sets the tone on how women are viewed and treated throughout this story. Set in a postcolonial Zimbabwe Nervous Conditions tells the story of four women who are living in a man’s world. Underestimated, unappreciated and dominated, each of these women stand up to face the harsh reality of a world where women are seen as possession and are expected to undergo abuse and mockery in a submissive and gracious way. Tambu, Nyasha, Maiguru and Lucia all break the mold of what is expected of women and they each …show more content…
Lucia resembles Nyasha in her fearless and rebellious character, however, Lucia’s mind battles between what she wants to do and what she ‘needs’ to do. This struggle is present mostly when she is with Tekesure; Lucia despises him and wants nothing to do with him but at the same time, she accepts to live with him because her body has needs of which she is not ashamed of. (155) Lucia’s conflicted mind serves as a metaphor for women in Africa at this time because women wanted to be free from patriarchy but they needed men to support them in order to survive. Like Tambu, Lucia could be considered a successful character to some extent; although she needs the help of Babamuruku to become independent, Lucia is able to break free from Tekesure and live off her own wage while starting her education. Although this does not represent a collective victory of women at this time, Lucia’s courage and fearlessness serves her well and she is rewarded. When comparing Lucia to Nyasha, one wonders what made one successful and the other one unsuccessful at the end of the novel. Lucia and Nyasha are very similar characters with one big difference characterizing them. Lucia’s goal is to break free from male dominance so she can have a life free of oppression, while Nyasha simply wants to be free, even if death is the price. Thus, Lucia recognizes when she needs to speak up and when to simply take a step back to take advantage of opportunities that will benefit her. Throughout the story, it is evident that Lucia’s opinion of Babamuruku is not a good one, however, when she needs his help, Lucia is able to swallow her pride and ask him for his help. In contrast, Nyasha does not step back at any moment and she is not interested in any opportunity that might help her succeed if such opportunity comes from a