Who Is a Feminist between Flora Nwapa and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie?

Abstract

Through this article, the main purpose has been to discover who is a feminist between Flora Nwapa and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. To carry out the research, life of the main character of each author’s novel has been scrutinized. Consequently when it comes to Flora Nwapa, as Amaka is the main character of her novel entitled One is Enough, Amaka’s life has been under scrutiny. As for Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, life of Olanna, who is the main character of her novel: Half of a Yellow Sun, has been investigated as well. The analysis has been conducted through lenses of two literary approaches namely Feminism and Womanism.

At the end of the analysis it has been brought to light that Flora Nwapa is a feminist because Amaka has a feminist behaviour. As a matter of fact, Amaka has not tolerated any mistreatments from her husband as well as her mother-in-law. Apart from what has been mentioned above, she has beaten her husband back when he tried to beat her. She has divorced Obiora in order to go to Lagos in search for a better life. In Lagos, Amaka has also refused remarrying a priest called Mclaid, the father of her twin boys. Unlike Flora Nwapa, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has been labelled a womanist because her character called Olanna has been tolerant to her mother-in-law as well as her husband regardless the abuse has undergone in her marriage. In fact, she has forgiven her husband although he has had a child by another woman brought to him from the village by his mother. Olanna has not reacted against the insults she has suffered from her mother-in-law.