It does not take long for readers to understand the first
sentence of the novel and how at the end of chapter one Tambu grows to dislike
everybody. (12) Tambu suffers from a problem we have seen a lot of our female
characters struggle with, being regulated as unimportant based on their race
and gender. One part of the novel that really caught my attention was the
passage on page 16. In this passage
Tambu’s mother gives her a speech about the burdens that they as black women
have to carry and how it is important to carry these burdens “with strength.’”(16).
This part really frustrated me because it seems that in all the novels that we
have read that many women recognized that they are oppressed and hindered by
their race and gender but few except the
main characters of the story are truly bothered by these circumstances. I was
curious why any mother would want their daughter to struggle under these
burdens and learn to deal with them instead of throwing them off and striving
to be more. I see this type of thinking
in many different characters such as Janie’s, Jacobs’, and Sula’s grandmothers
and Nell’s mother. There are probably even more characters that fit this description.
The other part that frustrated me about this speech is the
section about sacrifices. Why does Tambu have to learn how to sacrifice at an early
age? Why are women the ones who have to accept and be the ones to sacrifice? A
part of the speech is something that also seems like a repeat for me especially
when I think about Janie’s grandmother speech about love. I think it is interesting
who we are constantly seeing similar themes in stories about women who live
different lives and even live in different parts of the world.
It seems that you're highlighting the difference between surviving within an oppressive system and radically rejecting that oppressive system. Your comparison to the grandmothers make so much sense to me. It seems that they are all used as a foil for the main character - they hope to teach their granddaughters how to survive within the world they know, and the main characters are as frustrated with that tactic as you are. Janie, Sula, and Harriet all reject those methods of survival for something more radical. It also seems to me that the questions you ask in the last paragraph ("why are women the ones to sacrifice?" etc) are some of the same questions Tsitsi is bringing up, and definitely are questions that Tambu seems to be asking.
ReplyDeleteIt seems clear to me that Tambu is asking some of the same questions you are when on page 12 (as you brought up at the beginning) she says: "The needs and sensibilities of the women in my family were not considered a priority, or even legitimate... In those days I felt the injustice of my situation every time I thought about it."
As you brought up that "we are constantly seeing similar themes in stories about women who live different lives", I also think there's an important connection to Paradise. Whereas the women in Ruby seem to be trying to survive within that particular cultural environment, the women of the Convent radically rejected their own oppressive situations in favor of a self-constructed, earthly paradise in which they had access to self-determinacy and self-love.
I really like the way Alayna said how Precious seemed to be highlighting the difference between surviving within an oppressive system versus radically rejecting that oppressive system. This really stuck out to me because of the questions Tambu seems to me raising like Alayna points out.
ReplyDeleteI also think these ideas continue on page 17 where Tambu says that her father "annoyed [her] tremendously by laughing and laughing in an unpleasantly adult way." This stuck out to me, especially how Tambu describes her father's laughing at her wanting more money so she can go to school, because of the way she describes her father's laughing. It was in an adult way, which gave off the impression to me that he doesn't think his daughter understands that there is no money for her and that girls don't go to school. I think this assumption by her father is childish and he simply gives the money for fees in order to "keep [her] quiet" (17). He doesn’t give her the fees because he loves her or wants her to go to school, but simply because he doesn’t want to deal with her asking anymore. This allows for Tambu to survive in the oppressive system, even though she wants to reject it and is questioning it.
Precious,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your perspective. I think your points are completely valid. It is unfair for the women to have this unequal burden. I think an important factor to remember is the location of the novel and the background of the writer. I wonder how much Tambu actually understands about the patriarchal society she is participates in and the message Dangarembga conveys through her trials and tribulations. Your post reminded me of the McIntosh piece we read at the beginning of the year on privilege. While we have read a lot of literature that focused on the shortcomings of women, I think it is those characteristics that make you love them the most. Furthermore, I don't think women necessarily think about how difficult it is to be a woman. We are all born with inalienable traits. Womanhood is an integral part of our existence. If all you've known as a child is the importance of making sacrifices, that act will become the norm for the rest of your life. Moreover, women in male dominated societies are very limited in their power and mobility. I think the place and time of the novel plays a large role in the framing of the characters and events, as well as the way we should read and interpret the book.