The paper analyses the portrayal of the female gender in Sofola’s The Sweet Trap. Particular reference is made on women representation and objectification in the selected play. The overriding focal thrust of the play is the supremacy of tradition and the foregrounding of female agitation for a complementary relationship with their male counterparts. The play does little or nothing to break the patriarchal barrier imposed on the exercise of right by women even as Sofola weaves through the image of the female as probable reason for the destruction of another. Analysis of the play revealed that Sofola connects The Sweet Trap with the patriarchal nature of traditional societies, ignoring the wider vista of life that requires woman’s quota in building a home. Thus portraying women as objects of abuse and docility and foreclosing their other capabilities, while also heightening the condemnation of women who stand up to male dominance. The methodology adopted is descriptive, dwelling on an analytical approach of female imaging in the play. This study suggests that there should be a fundamental change in gender relations so as to recognise the role of women as complementary partners in the process of development.
Key Words: Imaging, Objectification, Tradition, Dominance, Representation
Bassey, B. (2021). Female Representation and Objectification in Zulu Sofola’s The Sweet Trap. Afribary. Retrieved from https://afribary.com/works/female-representation-and-objectification-in-zulu-sofola-s-the-sweet-trap
Bassey, Bassey "Female Representation and Objectification in Zulu Sofola’s The Sweet Trap" Afribary. Afribary, 26 Dec. 2021, https://afribary.com/works/female-representation-and-objectification-in-zulu-sofola-s-the-sweet-trap. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
Bassey, Bassey . "Female Representation and Objectification in Zulu Sofola’s The Sweet Trap". Afribary, Afribary, 26 Dec. 2021. Web. 22 Dec. 2024. < https://afribary.com/works/female-representation-and-objectification-in-zulu-sofola-s-the-sweet-trap >.
Bassey, Bassey . "Female Representation and Objectification in Zulu Sofola’s The Sweet Trap" Afribary (2021). Accessed December 22, 2024. https://afribary.com/works/female-representation-and-objectification-in-zulu-sofola-s-the-sweet-trap