CHANGING PHASES OF WOMEN IN BUCHI EMECHETA’S THE JOYS OF MOTHERHOOD

Abstract

The paper proposes to analyse the metamorphoses of the Nigerian society with special focus on the change of woman’s identity as the cultural locus shifts, regarding women’s space and place as the society evolves from traditional to colonial and post-colonial status. The life of three generations of women is discussed. The change in the cultural and societal norms and its impact on the life of women is exemplified. One of Emecheta’s finest novel The Joys of Motherhood, is set in a time of great political and economic change in Nigeria. The characters in this novel define validity of their womanhood solely by the success of their children. The Joys of Motherhood is the story of a Young Ibo woman who dreams of living a traditional life as a mother of many children. She spends her life in Lagos, Nigeria watching traditional values erode and being destroyed by Western influence. The hope she puts in having many children turns out to be misplaced and her entire life is simply a struggle for survival, with no reward in her old age.