Abstract
One of the obnoxious patriarchal practices that tend to enslave the African woman is widowhood practices. A woman who loses her husband to death is treated like an outcast to the extent that she sometimes becomes neurotic. She suffers deprivation, lack and oppression in the hands of her in-laws who dispossess her of all that she had laboured for with her husband. In Ben Igwe’s Against the Odds, this paper observes that the widow who undergoes depravity degenerates to the point of lunacy; and she suffers mockery from her kinsmen and women. Using the feminist theory that encourages women to be strong and assertive, and the psychoanalytic approach which concerns itself with the psyche of the human mind, this paper condemns widowhood practices as it enslaves the woman. The Covid-19 pandemic that led to the worldwide lockdown took a toll on the widow who becomes helpless and vulnerable. The paper concludes that widowhood practices should be abolished completely as this is a patriarchal agenda to enslave the woman; because men who lose their wives do not undergo any ritual or maltreatment. Some aspects of style are also explored which are recurrent motifs in the novel to drive home the message.
Introduction
Widowhood practices is an age-long practice which has been so entrenched in some traditions despite the negative effect it has on the victim – the woman. What makes the practice so obnoxious is the fact that it is only women who undergo the rituals of widowhood despite the fact that both men and women lose their spouses. This is based on the belief that women are usually accused of being responsible for the demise of their husbands, in order to inherit his wealth, therefore, these practices are enforced in order to traumatize the woman so that she will lose interest in the husband’s property and just be left alone to be alive with her children, if any. The woman suffers from accusation, maltreatment, dispossession, enslavement, poverty, lack, depravity and ostracism: these factors either drive the woman to her early grave or to insanity.
Using the feminist theory that encourages women to be strong and assertive, and the psychoanalytic approach which concerns itself with the psyche of the human mind, this paper condemns widowhood practices as it enslaves the woman. The paper concludes that widowhood practices should be abolished completely as this is a patriarchal agenda to enslave the woman; because men who lose their wives do not undergo any ritual or maltreatment. Some aspects of style are also explored which are recurrent motifs in the novel to drive home the message.
Using the feminist theory that encourages women to be strong and assertive, and the psychoanalytic approach which concerns itself with the psyche of the human mind, this paper condemns widowhood practices as it enslaves the woman. The paper concludes that widowhood practices should be abolished completely as this is a patriarchal agenda to enslave the woman; because men who lose their wives do not undergo any ritual or maltreatment. Some aspects of style are also explored which are recurrent motifs in the novel to drive home the message.
Content
2. Feminism and psychoanalysis
Feminism is a theory that encourages women to assert themselves positively in the society by rejecting domination and striving for relevance. Helen Chukwuma in “The Identity of Self” defines feminism to mean a
rejection of inferiority and a striving for recognition. It seeks to give the woman a sense of self as a worthy, effectual and contributing human being. Feminism is a reaction to such stereotypes of women which deny them a positive identity. (ix)
Akachi Ezeigbo in Gender Issues in Nigeria argues that feminism “is ideologically designed to liberate and emancipate women worldwide from oppression, ignorance, poverty and self-immolation” (1). Rosalind Delmar in “What is Feminism” defines feminism as “an active desire to change women’s position in the society” (13). In the same vein, Paul Clarke and Andrew Linzey in Dictionary of Ethics, Theology and Society argue that feminism as an ideology is an affirmation of women’s equivalent value as persons with men and a rejection of sexist ideologies that inferiorize women. They add that as a movement feminism is an organized effort to transform the cultural and social systems that perpetuate women’s subjugation to men (377).
Psychoanalysis theory is apt for this paper because the female character degenerates to neurosis which is a component of the psyche. Linda Davidoff argues that “psychology is usually defined as the science that focuses on behavior and mental processes” (6). Charles Bressler notes that psychoanalytic criticism is “the application of the methods of Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis to interpreting works of literature. Because this approach to literary analysis attempts to explain the hows and whys of human actions” (179). Jo Nash argues that “Psychoanalysis is a specific form of talking therapy, grounded in a complex theory of human development and psychological functioning”. Judith Gardiner opines that feminist psychoanalytic critics accept Freud’s theory “provisionally as accurate portraits of the ways in which patriarchal social relations damage women psychologically” (117).
Therefore, feminism and psychoanalysis theories are apt for this paper because the widow in the text under discussion who initially degenerates to lunacy eventually liberates herself from inferiority, oppression and poverty and strive towards achieving individuality for herself and her son, Jamike. Hence, her son’s transformation from a local village boy to an international personality whom the whole community reckoned with. ...
continues from the pdf file..
Feminism is a theory that encourages women to assert themselves positively in the society by rejecting domination and striving for relevance. Helen Chukwuma in “The Identity of Self” defines feminism to mean a
rejection of inferiority and a striving for recognition. It seeks to give the woman a sense of self as a worthy, effectual and contributing human being. Feminism is a reaction to such stereotypes of women which deny them a positive identity. (ix)
Akachi Ezeigbo in Gender Issues in Nigeria argues that feminism “is ideologically designed to liberate and emancipate women worldwide from oppression, ignorance, poverty and self-immolation” (1). Rosalind Delmar in “What is Feminism” defines feminism as “an active desire to change women’s position in the society” (13). In the same vein, Paul Clarke and Andrew Linzey in Dictionary of Ethics, Theology and Society argue that feminism as an ideology is an affirmation of women’s equivalent value as persons with men and a rejection of sexist ideologies that inferiorize women. They add that as a movement feminism is an organized effort to transform the cultural and social systems that perpetuate women’s subjugation to men (377).
Psychoanalysis theory is apt for this paper because the female character degenerates to neurosis which is a component of the psyche. Linda Davidoff argues that “psychology is usually defined as the science that focuses on behavior and mental processes” (6). Charles Bressler notes that psychoanalytic criticism is “the application of the methods of Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis to interpreting works of literature. Because this approach to literary analysis attempts to explain the hows and whys of human actions” (179). Jo Nash argues that “Psychoanalysis is a specific form of talking therapy, grounded in a complex theory of human development and psychological functioning”. Judith Gardiner opines that feminist psychoanalytic critics accept Freud’s theory “provisionally as accurate portraits of the ways in which patriarchal social relations damage women psychologically” (117).
Therefore, feminism and psychoanalysis theories are apt for this paper because the widow in the text under discussion who initially degenerates to lunacy eventually liberates herself from inferiority, oppression and poverty and strive towards achieving individuality for herself and her son, Jamike. Hence, her son’s transformation from a local village boy to an international personality whom the whole community reckoned with. ...
continues from the pdf file..
Conclusion
... This paper has explored the one-sidedness of the patriarchal society where the woman is compelled to observe the vicious mourning period when she loses her spouse, whereas, the man does not go through any ritual. The paper has also argued that widowhood practices is a patriarchal agenda to oppress and dispossess the woman of all she has laboured for with her husband. The paper has also explored a recurrent motif of lunacy used by the writer to drive home his message.
References
Aboh, Romanus. Language and the Construction of Multiple Identities in the Nigerian Novel. Grahamstown: African Humanities Program, 2018.
Adebayo, Aduke. “Righting Patriarchal Wrongs: A Study of African Women in Recent Francophone African Literature”. Journal of Gender Studies, 5(4), 2008. 1-17.
Amadi, Elechi. Ethics in Nigerian culture. Ibadan: Heinemann, 2005.
Asogwa, Ugochukwu; Chiemzie Atama; Asadu Mariagoretti and Doris Melugbo. “Bouncing Baby Boys, but Crying Baby Girls: Assessing the Socio-demographic Impacts on Male Preference in South Eastern Nigeria”. Ianna Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 2021. 2(1), 108-118. Retrieved from https://iannajournalofinterdisciplinarystudies.com/index.php/1/article/view/39.
Bressler, Charles. Literary Criticism: An Introduction to Theory and Practice. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1994.
Chukwuma, Helen. Ed. “The Identity of Self”. Feminism in African Literature: Essays on Criticism. Enugu: New Generation, 1994. Ix-xxiv.
Clarke, Paul and Andrew Linzey. Eds. Dictionary of Ethics, Theology and Society. London: Routledge, 1996.
Delmar, Rosalind. “What is Feminism?” What is Feminism? Eds. Juliet Mitchell and Ann Oakley. Oxford: Blackwell, 1986. 8-33.
Davidoff, Linda. Introduction to Psychology. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1987.
Egbung, Itang. “Reinventing the African Woman: Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo’s The Last of the Strong Ones”. CALEL: Currents in African Literature and the English Language, vi, 2013. 8-17.
Egbung, Itang. Levirate Marriage in Ray Amadi’s The Trials of a Widow and Akachi Ezeigbo’s The Last of the Strong Ones ». Global Nexus Journal of Multidisciplinary Research (GNJMR), 1(2), 2026. 73 :81.
Egbung, Itang & Jayne Owan. « Literacy and the Girl-Child Empowerment for Sustainable Development : A Study of Amma Darko’s Faceless ». Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences. 10(6), 2019. 10-16.
Ezeigbo, Theodora. Gender Issues in Nigeria: A Feminist Perspective. Lagos: Vista Books, 1996.
Gardiner, Judith. “Mind Mother: Psychoanalysis and Feminism” Making a Difference: Feminist Literary Criticism. Ed. Gayle Greene. London: Methuen, 1985. 113-141.
Igwe, Ben. Against the Odds. New York: African Heritage Press, 2009.
Kwaghtser, Aondofa. “Childlessness and its coping strategies among couples in Lafia Local Government Area, Nasarawa State, Nigeria”. Ianna Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 5(1), 2023. 23-36. Retrieved from
https://iannajournalofinterdisciplinarystudies.com/index.php/1/article/view/96
Nash, Jo. “Psychoanalysis: A History of Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory”. 2018. Retrieved from https://positivepsychology.com/psychoanalysis/
Offiong, Agnes,; Nabiebu, Miebaka,; Egbung, Itang,; Etim, Raphael,; Bullem, Anthony, Okoi Obeten, et al. “Utilizing Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to examine Students’ Attitudes (SA), Environmental Knowledge (EK), and Sustainable Behaviour (SB) at the University of Calabar in Nigeria”. Pegem Journal of Education and Instruction. 16(2), 2026. 236-253.
Uwen, God’sgift, ; Egbung, Itang, ; Ellah, Stephen & Josephat Odey. This Dangerous Bone Cannot be Swallowed : Ethnopragmatic Significance of Religiously Based Personal Names Among Agwagune People. Genealogy. 10(63), 2026. 1-18.
Young, M. Jane and Kay Turner. “Challenging the Canon: Folklore Theory Reconsidered from Feminist Perspectives”. Feminist Theory and the Study of Folklore. Eds. Susan Tomer Hollis, Linda Pershing and M. Jane Young. Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1993. 9-23.
Adebayo, Aduke. “Righting Patriarchal Wrongs: A Study of African Women in Recent Francophone African Literature”. Journal of Gender Studies, 5(4), 2008. 1-17.
Amadi, Elechi. Ethics in Nigerian culture. Ibadan: Heinemann, 2005.
Asogwa, Ugochukwu; Chiemzie Atama; Asadu Mariagoretti and Doris Melugbo. “Bouncing Baby Boys, but Crying Baby Girls: Assessing the Socio-demographic Impacts on Male Preference in South Eastern Nigeria”. Ianna Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 2021. 2(1), 108-118. Retrieved from https://iannajournalofinterdisciplinarystudies.com/index.php/1/article/view/39.
Bressler, Charles. Literary Criticism: An Introduction to Theory and Practice. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1994.
Chukwuma, Helen. Ed. “The Identity of Self”. Feminism in African Literature: Essays on Criticism. Enugu: New Generation, 1994. Ix-xxiv.
Clarke, Paul and Andrew Linzey. Eds. Dictionary of Ethics, Theology and Society. London: Routledge, 1996.
Delmar, Rosalind. “What is Feminism?” What is Feminism? Eds. Juliet Mitchell and Ann Oakley. Oxford: Blackwell, 1986. 8-33.
Davidoff, Linda. Introduction to Psychology. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1987.
Egbung, Itang. “Reinventing the African Woman: Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo’s The Last of the Strong Ones”. CALEL: Currents in African Literature and the English Language, vi, 2013. 8-17.
Egbung, Itang. Levirate Marriage in Ray Amadi’s The Trials of a Widow and Akachi Ezeigbo’s The Last of the Strong Ones ». Global Nexus Journal of Multidisciplinary Research (GNJMR), 1(2), 2026. 73 :81.
Egbung, Itang & Jayne Owan. « Literacy and the Girl-Child Empowerment for Sustainable Development : A Study of Amma Darko’s Faceless ». Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences. 10(6), 2019. 10-16.
Ezeigbo, Theodora. Gender Issues in Nigeria: A Feminist Perspective. Lagos: Vista Books, 1996.
Gardiner, Judith. “Mind Mother: Psychoanalysis and Feminism” Making a Difference: Feminist Literary Criticism. Ed. Gayle Greene. London: Methuen, 1985. 113-141.
Igwe, Ben. Against the Odds. New York: African Heritage Press, 2009.
Kwaghtser, Aondofa. “Childlessness and its coping strategies among couples in Lafia Local Government Area, Nasarawa State, Nigeria”. Ianna Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 5(1), 2023. 23-36. Retrieved from
https://iannajournalofinterdisciplinarystudies.com/index.php/1/article/view/96
Nash, Jo. “Psychoanalysis: A History of Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory”. 2018. Retrieved from https://positivepsychology.com/psychoanalysis/
Offiong, Agnes,; Nabiebu, Miebaka,; Egbung, Itang,; Etim, Raphael,; Bullem, Anthony, Okoi Obeten, et al. “Utilizing Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to examine Students’ Attitudes (SA), Environmental Knowledge (EK), and Sustainable Behaviour (SB) at the University of Calabar in Nigeria”. Pegem Journal of Education and Instruction. 16(2), 2026. 236-253.
Uwen, God’sgift, ; Egbung, Itang, ; Ellah, Stephen & Josephat Odey. This Dangerous Bone Cannot be Swallowed : Ethnopragmatic Significance of Religiously Based Personal Names Among Agwagune People. Genealogy. 10(63), 2026. 1-18.
Young, M. Jane and Kay Turner. “Challenging the Canon: Folklore Theory Reconsidered from Feminist Perspectives”. Feminist Theory and the Study of Folklore. Eds. Susan Tomer Hollis, Linda Pershing and M. Jane Young. Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1993. 9-23.