Maiguru and Mainini’s Struggle With Entrapment:
Analysis of the Complex Role of Power Within Nervous Conditions
Tsitsi Dangarembga dramatizes individual struggles with patriarchal power to address the issues of colonization and entrapment within her novel Nervous Conditions. The traditionally enforced roles of women and men within the Rhodesian culture bridged a power gap between the genders, allowing patriarchal power to develop and dominate society. This issue is prevalent throughout all classes in the novel, mainly in the characters Mainini, Tambu’s mother, and Maiguru, Tambu’s aunt. Although Mainini and Maiguru reside in different places within the social hierarchy, they face similar power struggles barring the more minute details. Mainini …show more content…
As Maiguru realizes that marrying Babamukuru causes her identity to become invisible her personality to become censored, she becomes distressed. Maiguru is enervate of the entrapment by the patriarchal society that her husband lives by and decides to go live with her brother. While Maiguru eventually must return to her traditional life with Babamukuru, this event shows her attempts at standing up to the patriarchy. Manini, on the other hand, is portrayed initially as a shy and hard-working mother, whose thoughts and opinions are kept silent. Her husband and family show her little respect and treat her as an object rather than as a human. However, Manin is tired of the silence, and disrespect others show her. In the midst of rant, Mainini says, "I'm not educated, am I? I'm just poor and ignorant, so you want me to keep quiet, you say I mustn't talk. Ehe! I am poor and ignorant, that's me, but I have a mouth and it will keep on talking, it won't keep quiet" (Dangarembga 142). Manini is tired of the privilege and entitlement that the other women give to Maiguru. Manini recognizes that, due to her social status in the Shona lifestyle, her opinions are meant to stay silent. Despite that, Manini speaks out against the social laws of her society and expresses her belief that she too deserves a chance to speak. Mainini finally exposes her previously hidden desire for power. Although this development is towards Maiguru and not one of the people who was more naturally subduing her, Mainini still manages to stand up against the privilege the Maiguru represents. Both Maiguru and Mainini, while not entirely successful, manage to take the first steps in escaping the metaphorical and physical entrapment that they have faced for so long. Within the novel, Maiguru and Mainini are shown to be confined to a patriarchal stereotype that is degrading to women and their
Analysis of the Complex Role of Power Within Nervous Conditions
Tsitsi Dangarembga dramatizes individual struggles with patriarchal power to address the issues of colonization and entrapment within her novel Nervous Conditions. The traditionally enforced roles of women and men within the Rhodesian culture bridged a power gap between the genders, allowing patriarchal power to develop and dominate society. This issue is prevalent throughout all classes in the novel, mainly in the characters Mainini, Tambu’s mother, and Maiguru, Tambu’s aunt. Although Mainini and Maiguru reside in different places within the social hierarchy, they face similar power struggles barring the more minute details. Mainini …show more content…
As Maiguru realizes that marrying Babamukuru causes her identity to become invisible her personality to become censored, she becomes distressed. Maiguru is enervate of the entrapment by the patriarchal society that her husband lives by and decides to go live with her brother. While Maiguru eventually must return to her traditional life with Babamukuru, this event shows her attempts at standing up to the patriarchy. Manini, on the other hand, is portrayed initially as a shy and hard-working mother, whose thoughts and opinions are kept silent. Her husband and family show her little respect and treat her as an object rather than as a human. However, Manin is tired of the silence, and disrespect others show her. In the midst of rant, Mainini says, "I'm not educated, am I? I'm just poor and ignorant, so you want me to keep quiet, you say I mustn't talk. Ehe! I am poor and ignorant, that's me, but I have a mouth and it will keep on talking, it won't keep quiet" (Dangarembga 142). Manini is tired of the privilege and entitlement that the other women give to Maiguru. Manini recognizes that, due to her social status in the Shona lifestyle, her opinions are meant to stay silent. Despite that, Manini speaks out against the social laws of her society and expresses her belief that she too deserves a chance to speak. Mainini finally exposes her previously hidden desire for power. Although this development is towards Maiguru and not one of the people who was more naturally subduing her, Mainini still manages to stand up against the privilege the Maiguru represents. Both Maiguru and Mainini, while not entirely successful, manage to take the first steps in escaping the metaphorical and physical entrapment that they have faced for so long. Within the novel, Maiguru and Mainini are shown to be confined to a patriarchal stereotype that is degrading to women and their