The African continent is synonymous with war and women are caught up in it in the perpetual role of the victim. African literature in the pre colonial and colonial period has tended to be very intransigent in its portrayal of females in times of conflict. The African writer has created a fragmented female. This character is often bartered, manipulated or presented as lovesick in conflict situations creating a flawed and destructive image of the African woman. I argue that writers of African literature exposing the violent conflict of colonialism and liberation have a pessimistic outlook on the role of women in war which has hindered the empowerment of women. I will use Psychoanalysis and its concept on the life and death instincts to account for why sex and identity dominates the portrayal of women in pre-colonial and colonial literature. African writers have created a situation where conflict necessitates a sexual definition of the female character. Women thus possess a paradoxical identity of being sensual and consuming of the male phallus which ultimately breaks and consumes them. The conflict resolution is such that sex seems to logically place and displace ideas of sexuality and its impact on the female character.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction: African Literature and the abused woman
2. Freud’s concept of Eros and Thanatos
3. Eros and Thanatos in Sunset at Dawn
4. The environment as regards Eros/Thanatos
5. Conclusion
Objective and Research Topics
The primary objective of this paper is to analyze the portrayal of women in Chukwuemeka Ike’s novel "Sunset at Dawn" through the lens of Freudian psychoanalysis. The study examines how the conflicting instincts of Eros (life) and Thanatos (death) dictate the brutal sexualization and objectification of female characters within the volatile setting of the Biafran war, questioning whether this literary representation reflects a deeper, problematic cultural and fatalistic perspective on women’s roles during conflicts.
- Psychoanalytic exploration of Eros and Thanatos within the context of wartime literature.
- The intersection of sexual objectification and military violence in African war narratives.
- The role of "survival mode" and its impact on the agency of female characters.
- The symbolic "shelling" of women as a manifestation of male sexual and destructive instincts.
- Critical examination of the fatalism inherent in the male-dominated societal structures of Biafra.
Excerpt from the Book
Eros and Thanatos in Sunset at Dawn
It is not immediately apparent that African literature that focuses on the upheavals of wartime tends to have a narrative discourse that brutally sexualises women. The language in the text feeds off the female form keeping her literally under the double assault of the phallus and the bomb. The role of women is seen in contributing a much needed sexual reprieve to men who are under constant barrage from enemy mortar. The trickledown effect is that while the shells fall from the sky, the men on the ground “shell” the women in the beds. Psychoanalytic views on Eros and Thanatos, the life and death instincts, can be used in Sunset at Dawn (1976) to show how women play a very predictable, and stereotypical role in conflict resolution while remaining peripheral in the war effort. The point is that while the male characters engage the war with rifles and bombs, they engage their women in the same fervour using violent and destructive language to conquer their supine bodies and satisfy their instincts.
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: African Literature and the abused woman: This chapter contextualizes the systemic abuse and sexualization of women in African war literature, arguing that historical and colonial factors have contributed to their portrayal as mere sexual casualties rather than protagonists.
Freud’s concept of Eros and Thanatos: This section explains the psychoanalytic framework of the life and death instincts, establishing how these primal drives, as theorized by Freud, provide a lens for understanding destructive behaviors and sexual compulsions.
Eros and Thanatos in Sunset at Dawn: This chapter applies the psychoanalytic theory to Ike’s novel, detailing how the male characters conflate the violence of war with their sexual desires, thereby objectifying women as "fertile ground" for their destructive instincts.
The environment as regards Eros/Thanatos: This chapter analyzes the surreal wartime environment where death becomes a routine occurrence, forcing characters to navigate the tension between preserving life and succumbing to the fatalistic pull of the death instinct.
Conclusion: The final section synthesizes the findings, asserting that the novel presents a deterministic view where war and sexuality are inextricably linked, ultimately marginalizing women and reducing their bodies to canvases for male aggression.
Keywords
war sexuality, death and life instincts, colonial African literature, psychoanalysis, objectification, gender, Biafran war, fatalism, Eros, Thanatos, military conflict, female agency, systemic abuse, patriarchal narrative, Chukwuemeka Ike
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary subject of this academic paper?
The paper explores the intersection of war and sexuality in African literature, specifically focusing on how women are portrayed in Chukwuemeka Ike’s "Sunset at Dawn" through a psychoanalytic framework.
What are the central themes discussed in this work?
The central themes include the objectification of women in war, the Freudian conflict between Eros and Thanatos (life and death instincts), the fatalism prevalent in wartime society, and the role of language in perpetuating violence.
What is the core research question or goal?
The goal is to determine how and why male writers of African war literature represent women as sexualized objects and whether these depictions reflect a specific, unflattering, and stereotypical view of the female role during periods of extreme conflict.
Which scientific or theoretical methodology is utilized?
The author employs Freudian psychoanalysis, specifically the concepts of Eros (the life instinct) and Thanatos (the death instinct), to decode the behaviors and narrative choices found in the novel.
What is addressed in the main body of the text?
The body analyzes specific character behaviors and narrative passages in "Sunset at Dawn," exploring how male characters use war-related vocabulary to describe sexual encounters and how women are pressured to adopt survival strategies that involve sexual submission.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include war sexuality, death and life instincts, colonial African literature, psychoanalysis, objectification, and the Biafran war context.
How does the author interpret the term "shelling" in the novel?
The author interprets "shelling" as a deliberate linguistic choice by the characters and the novelist to equate military bombardment with sexual conquest, highlighting the brutalized connection between war and male sexual pleasure.
Does the work suggest that women are entirely passive victims?
The author notes that while women are presented as victims of a male-created system, the narrative implies they adapt or "thrive" through sexual agency, though this survival mechanism is arguably presented as a tragic necessity rather than true empowerment.
What role does the "Cradlers" group play in the analysis?
The "Cradlers" represent the extreme survival mode where women are stripped of other roles and reduced to sexual identities to secure material resources, serving as a key example of the author's critique of wartime moral decay.
- Quote paper
- Wazha Lopang (Author), 2017, "Shelling" women for pleasure in "Sunset at Dawn". An analysis of the abused woman in African literature, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/374773
