Nervous conditions novel; How does Dangarembga present Tambu’s journey in any two moments of the novel?
Taro Croze
How does Dangarembga present Tambu’s journey in any two moments of the novel?
Tambu's journey into womanhood and towards freedom is shaped by the women in her family who are at various places and stages with their statuses as women in a patriarchal society. Dangarembga doesn’t change her portrayal of the divergent belief systems of Babamukuru and his brother Jeremiah, and she shows both men behaving rather irrationally. Jeremiah foolishly endorses a shaman’s ritual cleansing of the homestead, while Babamukuru’s belief in a Christian ceremony seems to be rooted in his rigid and unyielding confidence that he is always right. As Tambu becomes more fixed and established in her life at the mission school, she begins to embrace attitudes and beliefs different from those of her parents and her traditional upbringing. Nyasha, ever the voice of reasonable dissent, warns Tambu that a wholesale acceptance of supposedly progressive ideas represents a dangerous departure.
Education leads to the journey for Tambu, she discovers different views on how to behave in a ‘whiter’ society. This journey from an idyllic, rural society shows her freedom, ‘old deep places’- in her river where she swam in as a child. When Tambu accepts the opportunity of missionary schooling, she learns about her uncle’s family, and the extent to which colonialism has affected their way of life, and how it has pulled them apart. To some extent, this leaves one realizing that the unity and harmony that might have existed in Tambu’s extended family has been damaged as a result of moving to England. Nyasha points out to Tambu that her father acts like white men and how he humiliates himself in the process. Tambu is made aware of the effect this has on Nyasha and her family. Nyasha also draws attention to the way colonialism has created divisions within the family, and disruption and damage: ‘Do you see what they’ve done? They’ve taken us away. Lucia. Takesure. All of us. They’ve deprived you of
How does Dangarembga present Tambu’s journey in any two moments of the novel?
Tambu's journey into womanhood and towards freedom is shaped by the women in her family who are at various places and stages with their statuses as women in a patriarchal society. Dangarembga doesn’t change her portrayal of the divergent belief systems of Babamukuru and his brother Jeremiah, and she shows both men behaving rather irrationally. Jeremiah foolishly endorses a shaman’s ritual cleansing of the homestead, while Babamukuru’s belief in a Christian ceremony seems to be rooted in his rigid and unyielding confidence that he is always right. As Tambu becomes more fixed and established in her life at the mission school, she begins to embrace attitudes and beliefs different from those of her parents and her traditional upbringing. Nyasha, ever the voice of reasonable dissent, warns Tambu that a wholesale acceptance of supposedly progressive ideas represents a dangerous departure.
Education leads to the journey for Tambu, she discovers different views on how to behave in a ‘whiter’ society. This journey from an idyllic, rural society shows her freedom, ‘old deep places’- in her river where she swam in as a child. When Tambu accepts the opportunity of missionary schooling, she learns about her uncle’s family, and the extent to which colonialism has affected their way of life, and how it has pulled them apart. To some extent, this leaves one realizing that the unity and harmony that might have existed in Tambu’s extended family has been damaged as a result of moving to England. Nyasha points out to Tambu that her father acts like white men and how he humiliates himself in the process. Tambu is made aware of the effect this has on Nyasha and her family. Nyasha also draws attention to the way colonialism has created divisions within the family, and disruption and damage: ‘Do you see what they’ve done? They’ve taken us away. Lucia. Takesure. All of us. They’ve deprived you of