Challenging Patriarchy: Feminism and Gender Dynamics in Lola Shoneyin’s The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives (2010)

Abstract

The literary world has given birth to feminism, a movement spearheaded by both male and female authors who fought against the patriarchal system that oppressed and persecuted women for centuries. Unfair traditions and masculine practices restricted women from communicating their ideas, goals, issues and ambitions. African women, like their counterparts worldwide, have faced obstacles that limit their freedom. However, by demolishing these restrictions, they have fought for equal rights and a better life. This research is titled Challenging Patriarchy: Gender Dynamics in Lola Shoneyin’s The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives (2010), aims to delve into the novel from a feminist perspective, studying its depiction and subversion of gender roles and patriarchal norms in contemporary Nigeria. By Employing feminist literary theory and close reading, this study examines the representation of female characters and their relationships with the male protagonist, Baba Segi. This research intends to follow a descriptive and analytical research paradigm and a qualitative research method. Ultimately, this dissertation contributes to the ongoing discourse on feminist analysis in African literature, emphasizing the significance of centering marginalized voices. By examine the representations of the three uneducated wives as submissive and non-assertive, compared to the fourth wife who is considered a symbol of challenging the patriarchal system. Also, the researcher has chosen feminist analysis in which Baba’s Segi character is intended to be investigated by describing his portrayal as the patriarchal system itself, as well as his relationship with his wives that is intended to be investigated through feminist lenses to make this novel a feminist literary work. The study digs into the differences between the representations of the female and male characters through a feminist perspective