The Traditional Structure and the Role of Women
The traditional structure established society through the gender roles that people played. Women were required to perform their assigned roles. Even minor divergence from the expected duties had disastrous effects. In essence, social cohesiveness and social order centered conventional structure on men. Women are depicted as sticking to socially condemned positions in Buchi Emecheta's novel Joys of Motherhood. In contrast, Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere proposes a more updated approach to the position and significance of women in society. In order to unravel the traditional role of women I am going to look at the following novels, The Joys of Motherhood by Buchi Emecheta and Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. In these two books, the paper will focus on how the role of women has changed, and how these changes define the role of women in the contemporary society.
The Role of Women in "The Joys of Motherhood"
In the book, The Joys of Motherhood, Buchi Emecheta rotates her story around a society called Ibo. The Ibo society perceived women’s role majorly to be children bearers. Like the author narrate, the most revolting part is that as much as the major expectation of women was to “produce” children, they were much limited to giving birth to male children. Boys were of great value to the society and to the woman herself. In the Ibo society, a woman’s value depended on how fertile she was and her honor was pegged on her ability to produce male children. Nnu Ego is one of the women in the Ibo society that had strived so much to ensure that she earned herself value and honor by frequent delivery of male children (Amartey 80). Such behavior by women clearly indicates how much the society brainwashed women to adhere to the roles and responsibilities given to them.
The Role of Women in "Neverwhere"
In the book, Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, women are used to present the theme of free will due to urbanization and technology. The concept of free will is seen in the fact that women can make independent decisions, challenge male dominance and even live up to their goals. Door in Neverwhere is given a fair amount of authority and influence. Door is the oldest daughter of Lord Portico and she comes from a very respectable family (Keskula 80). Whenever she speaks, the audience falls to silence which demonstrates the power and respect she is accredited. Her determination, stubbornness and masculinity are shown as she confronts the Earl. According to (Keskula 68), people, especially the men, often feel impartial when it comes to women’s abilities in the society. For instance, despite the fact that Islington is facing imprisonment, which can be solved by Door, he unwillingly expresses the incentive to ask for assistance from her. Urbanization in the modern world has driven parents to educate their children irrespective of whether they are male or female.
Traditional versus Non-Traditional Women
From the two novels, The Joys of Motherhood and Neverwhere, we can categorize women into two, as either Traditional women or Non-traditional women. Traditional women are much portrayed in the novel The Joys of Motherhood. Nnu Ego is much into tradition and culture and she believes that following the societal culture is the only way she can earn herself value and honor (Hammond 1). Non-traditional women are best identified in the novel Neverwhere in which women stood up on several occasions to challenge male dominance.
The Submissive Role of Women in "The Joys of Motherhood"
According to the traditions portrayed in The Joys of Motherhood, the women played submissive and subservient roles in their marriages. In fact, the females took good care of the children and family as a whole. The commoditization of female gender prompts them to lose privileges such as denial of formal education. Female children have no significance to the fathers. Nnaife for instance puts his hope on the bride price he will receive after the birth of first set of the girl twins, Kehinnde and Taiwo. In Neverwhere, women are an intersection of two worlds. Hypothetically, the women as portrayed in the text have an importance beyond dominant society of men. For example, Richard Mayhew being a gentleman under the control of fate becomes a victim of the misfortune. Gaiman equips Door with a feature that functions as a leveler between female and male characters. The ability to open any door is given to Door, a power that enables her to navigate freely in male dominated world. Successfully, she defeats Islington and his employees and through her bravery, unites London Below.
Comparison of Women's Roles in Different Societies
The two novels, The Joys of Motherhood and Neverwhere both talk about the roles of women while depicting a distinction between the roles of African women and the roles of women in the western communities. The Joys of Motherhood is a perfect outline of the happenings in traditional African set up among many communities. In Africa, women were perceived to be the institutional foundation for the society. The societal growth was manifested through birth and raising of the children. In spite of the patriarch dominance, the women stood to be the foundation for patriarchy egoism (Ashford 11). In essence mothers raised female children who guaranteed them vast societal wealth. On the contrary, men overlooked the role of the women. Instead, they viewed the women as vessels whose only role was to give birth. Additionally, the women were offered in exchange for wealth. According to (Amartey 80), this is one way through which men treated the women as commodities of trade. In the case where the woman was unable to bear children, the husband could succumb to the polygamy in pursuit of the children. Neverwhere on the other hand exemplifies the reality in the western world and other evolving communities. Gamain successfully expounds on women’s ability to be self-sufficient all round figures. Door cannot be categorized as a traditional feminine or a traditional masculine. The western world depicts women as independent, brave and intelligent (Bennett 5).
Empowering Women for a Better Society
In my opinion, just like men, a woman has the capability to develop and take up magnificent projects. The perception in Nnu Ego’s society should be eradicated and Door’s way of life be implemented. Denying women the opportunity to showcase their abilities is morally wrong. When given a friendly environment, women have the capability of doing extraordinary things. Apart from giving birth, women have the potential of leading, managing and other recognizable positions. Restrictive customs and traditions are unnecessary especially when they stigmatize particular members of the society. They should be given free will pursue their dreams and this will enhance betterment of their life and those of their families.
Conclusion
In conclusion, a woman’s role is dependent on the environment laid down for her. The novel The Joys of Motherhood by Buchi Emecheta puts women into custody of dictatorship and suppressive cultural norms. In contrast, Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman recognizes the power, ability and other potentials that women have. Females therefore have the capacity to promote societal growth despite patriarchal dominance and other retrogressive challenges in the society.
Works Cited
Amartey, C. Articulations of Womanism in Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus and Emecheta’s The Joys of Motherhood. Diss. University of Ghana, 2013.
Ashford, D.M. “The Ghost in the Machine:Physchogeography in the London Underground 1991-2007,” The Literary London Journal 6.2 (2009)
Bennett, Judith M. History Matters: Patriarchy and the Challenge of Feminism. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania Press. (2006)
Hammond, Merryl. “The Joys of Motherhood.” Journal of the Motherhood Initiative for Research and Community Involvement 2.2 (2000)
Keskula, Teele. Potrayal of Women in Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere, American Gods and Coraline. Diss. Tartu Ulikool, 2015
