This essay will consist of a brief background of both the story and the authors and I will compare and contrast both Indian and Nigerian culture and tradition, specifically looking at the woman’s role and duty within their family and community. The short story ‘A stench of kerosene’ retells the story of a young woman called Gulleri, who lives with her husband Manak and his family. Gulleri is unable to bear a child and therefore unable to produce a son, because of this, Manak’s mother arranges him to marry another woman whilst Gulleri is at the yearly harvest fair in her home town of Chamba. When Gulleri hears of manak’s new wife she soaks her clothes in kerosene and sets herself on fire. Author of, a stench of kerosene, Amrita Pritam who was a citizen of India in 1947, was famously known to write about personal experiences and events that occurred in India, therefore it is quite possible she would have been an eyewitness to horrific scenes like the story of Gulleri, So It is quite fitting that she would write a story of this nature. The story Veronica is also about a young woman, who lives with her family in a small village in Nigeria and her friend Okeke who leaves Nigeria to gain an education in England, ten years later he returned to find Veronica was married, with a child and living in acute poverty. Okeke left Nigeria and returned three years later after the destruction of the civil war, where he met Veronica for the very last time, Veronica died in Okeke’s arms. The author Adewale Maja-Pearce was a citizen of Nigeria, in fact his personal life is reflected greatly in this story as he actually grew up in Lagos and was educated at English universities.
The saying “A women’s place is in the kitchen”, comes to mind when read...
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...on the current symbolised the different paths of which they both will follow. The river was used again towards the end of the story where Okeke buries Veronica and say’s his last goodbye. ‘Afterwards he watched the flow of the stream’ this time the river represented the end of their friendship and the continuing of time after everything that has happened between Okeke and Veronica. The continuing of life is not apparent for Manak in ‘A stench of kerosene’ his life ended the moment he found out his wife had committed suicide by Fire, although he’s not dead physically he has mentally followed in Guleri's footstep. He is so dead inside that not even a new life can revive his feelings, the child is just a reminder of his guilt and the reason for Guleri's death and this is why he cannot bear to hold the child and why the baby metaphorically smells of kerosene.
Antonio prefers the river for company rather than any other place in town; therefore, he was devastated when a misfortunate event tarnished his memory of this beloved landmark. “How would I ever wash away the stain of blood from the sweet waters of my river!” (23). Antonio has established an ardent relationship with the river, yet the tragedy of Lupito’s death ruins the serenity that accompanies his memory of that breathtaking location. The series of events that play out all take place at or around the river, which proves symbolic of the correlation that the people have with that area. Not only does it often stand as the setting of many occasions, the river also is a recurring figure in Antonio’s dreams. “...that the sweet water of the moon which falls as rain is the same water that gathers into rivers and flows to fill the seas.”(121). The river in Antonio’s dream denotes the connection between his two completely opposite families all intercorrelated by Earth. Through the river, there is a unique peace and unity, similar to Antonio bringing his own uniqueness as he upholds and represents his two families. From a feeling of oneness to placidity, the river represents a variety of themes that prove significant in Antonio’s paramount transition from a child to an adult, many of which help the reader understand the crucial role
In the beginning of the story the presence of water symbolizes the physical and mental freedom the young couple share. The story begins with Jamie driving on the way home, to the lake house, after a long day of work. In the car Jamie yearns “ to be unchained in the weightlessness of the water” (203). The physical act of being weightless symbolizes her mental weightlessness or freedom. Jamie and Matt make love in water which enforces the connection they have with themselves and the mental and physical freedom they feel.
Water is symbolic of the life cycle as the continuous, repetitive movement is symbolic of the Buddhist view of samsara. Within Buddhism, samsara is defined as the continual repetitive cycle of birth and death that arises from one grasping and fixating one’s self and experiences. Specifically, samara refers to the process of cycling through one rebirth after another within the realms of existence. The uninterrupted cycle of death and rebirth without a choice is called ‘cyclic existence’ ("Buddhism Beliefs |About Buddhism”). In lê thi diem thúy’s The Gangster We Are All Looking For, water permeates through the life cycle concerning life, death, and the dual-meaning of resurrection representing both rebirth and the manifestation of ghostly
Another of the principal themes in this novel is the theme of maturity. The two rivers that are part of the Devon School property symbolize how Gene and Finny grow up through the course of the novel. The Devon River is preferred by the students because it is above the dam and contains clean water. It is a symbol of childhood and innocence because it is safe and simple. It is preferred which shows how the boys choose to hold onto their youth instead of growing up. The Naguamsett is the disgustingly dirty river which symbolizes adulthood because of its complexity. The two rivers intermingle showing the boys’ changes from immature individuals to slightly older and wiser men.
In Amanda Ngozi Adichie’s short story, “My Mother, the Crazy African American,” it presents mainly the relationship between mother and daughter’s relationship and their misunderstandings and struggles. Ralindu grew up in Nigeria. Ralindu’s father works in America and three years after his residency was approved Ralindu came to America, and she is now getting used to American style. This situation has cause problems with her mom who came to America with her. Her mother still sticks to their Nigerian traditions like foods and their mannerisms and she wants her daughter, Ralindu, to act like her. Ralindu wants to act as a typical American teenager and that induces the disconnection with Nigerian culture which causes misunderstandings and arguments in the relationship with her mother.
In “Monique and the Mango Rains”, Holloway describes her encounters with the difficulties of the women in the village of Nampossela and childbirth practices of midwifes in Mali. As a young white woman from Ohio, Holloway uses her unique perspective to write a description of her experiences of the rural midwifery practices of Monique and the hardships of the women she meets in Mali. Holloway uses her knowledge of the later events to enhance her description of her time as a Peace Corp volunteer and her observations of the village she lived in.
In Beloved, one of the things that water represents is birth. When Sethe was running away form Sweet Home, she was pregnant. In order to get to freedom, she had to cross the Ohio River. On the way to the river, Sethe met a young white girl named Amy Denver. Amy helped Sethe to keep going because her feet were swollen up. When Sethe and Amy got to the river, Sethe thought the baby had died during the previous night. However, she soon felt the signs of labor. “It looked like home to her, and the baby (not dead in the least) must have thought so too. As soon as Sethe got close to the river her own water broke loose to join it. The break, followed by the redundant announcement of labor, arched her back'; (p. 83). Sethe crawled into a boat that soon began to fill with water. It was in this boat that Sethe gave birth to Denver. “When a foot rose f...
The book Monique and the Mango Rains is written on the backdrop of one of the poorest countries in the world where people are uneducated but they have their own culture and customs which they follow ardently. However the practices somehow match with the current world of hypocrite people but unknowingly they are present in the small village Nampossela of Mali where author interacted with Monique the central character of the
In “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”, the river stands as a symbol of endlessness, geographical awareness, and the epitome of the human soul. Hughes uses the literary elements of repetition and simile to paint the river as a symbol of timelessness. This is evident in the first two lines of the poem. Hughes introduces this timeless symbol, stating, “I've known rivers: I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins” (Hughes 1-2). These opening lines of the poem identifies that the rivers Hughes is speaking about are older than the existence of human life. This indicates the rivers’ qualities of knowledge, permanence, and the ability to endure all. Humans associate “age” with these traits and the longevity of a river makes it a force to be reckoned with. The use of a simile in the line of the poem is to prompt the audience that this is truly a contrast between that ancient wisdom, strength, and determination of the river and the same qualities that characterize a human being. The imagery portrayed in the poem of blood flowing through human veins like a river flows ...
A Comparison of A Stench of Kerosene by Amritsa Pritam with Veronica by Adwale Maja-Pearce
The only glory and satisfaction enjoyed by the women portrayed in Things Fall Apart was being a mother. They receive respect and love from their children. They are strong for their children. The women are viewed as very gentle and caring. They are expected to take care of their children with the best of their ability and are trusted totally by their children. This honorable presentation of women is used by Achebe to identify women's role in the Ibo society. This presentation is necessary to show that women indeed play an important role in society.
Things Fall Apart, a novel by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe is a story about an Igbo village in Nigeria and a man that once was a powerful influence in the tribe, but begins to lose his influence as Nigeria is colonized and Christian missionaries come to evangelize. A deeper look at the novel, with a feminist critics point of view, tells a lot about the Igbo people as well as the author’s thoughts about women in the novel. Feminist critics look at female authors, and female characters and their treatment as well as women’s issues in society. Since Achebe is a male, the main focus of feminist literary criticism for Things Fall Apart is the women in the novel and their issues as well as the Igbo view of gender identity. Many issues that women
In his play Death and King’s Horseman, Wole Soyinka shows that women had important and recognized roles in traditional Yoruba society. Women fulfill their social, moral and spiritual roles as mothers, enforces of the discipline, show guidance to the community. Iyaloja, the Mother of the Market, is politically and spiritually critical. Aside from being the enforcer of discipline, her towering image in terms of influence is a great source of nourishment to the entire community. In the play, the women of the market are also capable of assuming positions of power, reducing man’s superiority. Wole Soyinka shows different ways of thinking about power, influence and responsibility.
Buchi Emecheta's The Joys of Motherhood as an African Feminist Text. Upon my first reading of Buchi Emecheta's The Joys of Motherhood, I immediately rejoiced--in this novel, I had finally encountered an account of a female protagonist in colonial and postcolonial African life. In my hands rested a work that gave names and voices to the silent, forgotten mothers and co-wives of novels by male African writers such as Chinua Achebe. Emecheta, I felt, provided a much-needed glimpse into the world of the African woman, a world harsher than that of the African male because women are doubly marginalized.
The small African village located on the bank of the river Niger has a story of its own, that only the old and wise are able to des...