Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga. Term Paper

The illnesses and eating disorders also indicate the struggle of Africans to live in two worlds, white and black, modern and traditional, and it shows that the young women of Africa are dominated by their culture, their men, and their desire to fit in and belong to something, even if it is a dysfunctional family.

Therefore, the book is much more than what the author describes in her first paragraph. It is much more complex, more thought-provoking, and more dynamic. Early on, it seems the story will mainly be about the narrator and her life, but it is really about Africa, and her struggle to break free from colonial rule, just like the narrator breaks free from her family and the bonds that tie her to poverty and ignorance. It is also about Tambu's own growing maturity and questioning of what is going on around her. Early in the novel, her only goal is to break free of the "homestead" where her parents live, and get an education. She worships the whites and wants to be like them, somewhat like her uncle, who has a responsible position and knows how to deal with the whites.However, she comes to question everything the whites represent, which even surprises herself. She notes on the last page of the book, "It was a long and painful process for me, that process of expansion" (Dangarembga 204). However, it is clear she becomes more of a woman in the process, and that her life will never be the same. The first paragraph prepares the reader for change, but not all the changes and experiences that Tambu has throughout the novel. She learns how the men dominate the women in her society, and that when women actually rebel, sometimes they succeed, but most often they do not. Decisions about her education are left to the men of the family, but it seems by the end of the novel that this will no longer be the case. Tambu has found herself, and it may not be what others want of her, but it will be what she wants for herself, and that is the most extraordinary thing that happens in this interesting and thought-provoking novel.

References

Dangarembga, Tsitsi. Nervous Conditions. Seattle, WA: The Seal Press,….....