A Poststructural Feminist Examination Of Widowhood In So Long A Letter By Mariama Ba And The Only Son By John Munoye

Abstract

This thesis provides a poststructural feminist examination of widowhood in the novels So Long a Letter by Mariama Ba and The Only Son by John Munonye. The selected two novels were chosen because of the recurring themes on widowhood within them. The major objectives of the study were to examine issues surrounding death that directly affect widows as portrayed in the two novels, So Long a Letter by Mariama Ba and The Only Son by John Munonye; analyse how the two authors present widowhood in the two selected African novels from both poststructural feminist and womanist perspectives and explore emerging themes from the discussion. The study was qualitative in nature and data was analysed using a thematic analysis approach. The study observed that widows are socially stigmatized. In Africa, some widows are victims of ill-cultural practices and norms as portrayed in So Long a Letter. The study also argues that in some cases the widow is forced to stay in her matrimonial home, despite having strained relationships with her in-laws. The findings further indicate that some widows are denied their rightful inheritance by the in-laws. Equally, the study reveals that widowhood brings about financial deprivation. The study recommends further research on issues surrounding death that directly affect women in other literary texts.