Here you find Representation of Women Character in African Literature with reference to Things Fall Apart, Grain if Wheat, Waiting for Barbarian, Swamp Dweller.

1. Topic: Representation of Women character in
‘Things Fall Apart’, ‘Grain of Wheat’, and
‘Swamp Dweller’
Name: Rasila Jambucha
Semester: 4
Paper: 14 The African Literatures
Roll no: 22
Year: 2013-2015
Submitted to: Smt. S.B.Gardi,
Department of English
M.K.Bhavnagar University.

2. Representation of Women in,

3. Swamp Dweller
 Soyinka presents stereotyped images of women
like,

4.  contrast between mother-in-law and
daughter-in-law
Faithful
Consistent to
husband
Simple and
honest
Alu
Unfaithful
Inconsistent
Materialistic
Desala

5. Things Fall Apart
 only one women respected
Chielo- priestess and spiritual leader
“Beware of exchanging words with Agbala.
Do what you are told woman.”
 Achebe presented image of an idealized women,
opening the space for women to become active
and involve themselves with men in the nation-
building activities.
 also find, deconstructing male identities

6.  another side, Okonkwo has many wives
- beats his second wife
 for Okonkwo,
- anything strong was linked
to man and anything weak
to women
 Ezinma’s character(daughter)
wants to carry okonkwo’s chair to the
wrestling match.
but, he replies, “No, that is boy’s job”.

7. comment that, “she should have been boy”.
It shows, Achebe’s poverty in describing women
character in patriarchal world.
both things (find in text) -
giving respect to one women and also not
giving respect to another women
Marginalization of women character

8. Grain of Wheat
 Ideal petriotic women - fighting for freedom
 courage and role of women in freedom fighting
 Thiongo wants to demonstarate that,
“If African women had not been such an
innerforce, kenyan would have never been what it
is today.”
 end, Mumbi tied a beld around her waist and
took on man’s work, it shows African women can
prove to be both unmanly and take the role of men
when needed.

9.  on the other side, Mumbi and General R’s
mother, both are beaten by their husband
 contrast between two women character
Strong
Independent
resourceful
Mumbi
Weak
Fragile
unstable
Margery

10. Waiting for Barbarian
 victimization of Barbarian girl
Symbol of
colonized
Use of her
body as
object
Barbarian
girl
Relation with
magistrate
shows
slave &
master

11.  Coetzee’s choice for a girl……
to put a girl as symbol of colonized, slave and
barbarian indicates women’s position in society
and men’s mind.

12. Conclusion
all work shows changing potrayal and use of
women character for different purposes
 social restriction on womens is greatest banes
of African society.
 African lite portrayed women poorly
 women have not their own identity
- portrayed as less heroic than man

13. work citation
http://studyquestion.blogspot.in/2012/11/port
rayal-of-women-in-contemporary.html
https://www.wou.edu/las/humanities/english/
MeyerPrize/Bauman_2010.pdf
http://www.palgrave-
journals.com/fr/journal/v17/n1/full/fr198435a.
html