He Falls Apart: The Art of Female Subversion in African Literature Natalia Conte College

Within any system of oppression, the oppressed, once they realize their treatment is a type of oppression, oftentimes have the impulse to resist. This resistance, sometimes exceptionally dangerous, often bucked by popular opinion and those who have not recognized their own oppression, can take several different forms. Few can deny writing remains one of the most influential types of resistance, words capable of breaking down barriers that divide, a form of education that reaches out to the masses.

Within several distinguished African texts such as Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, women exhibit exceptional craft and wit to buck traditional gender roles and circumnavigate the systems of oppression established through patriarchal norms. This circumvention not only occurs within the actual text, exhibited by strong characters such as Aunty Ifeoma in Purple Hibiscus and Ezinma in Things Fall Apart, but also within the techniques the authors use to tell their narratives, paying close attention to narration and characterization.

A discussion of female subversion and strength, particularly within the context of African literature and culture, proves to be exceptionally timely,...