The New African Woman: The Quest for an Independent Self in Flora Nwapa's One is Enough (1981)

Matmer, Dalila; Boutouchent, Fadhila

الممارسات اللّغويّة
Volume 15, Numéro 2, Pages 569-584
2024-12-15

The New African Woman: The Quest For An Independent Self In Flora Nwapa's One Is Enough (1981)

Authors : Matmer Dalila . Boutouchent Fadhila .

Abstract

In Flora Nwapa’s One is Enough, the protagonist Amaka is engaged in a quest for independence and self-discovery. She is first introduced as oppressed, childless, and being humiliated by her family in law. However, she ends triumphant; first, as a mother and later as a successful business woman. This paper explores the heroine’s journey for emancipation where the writer, Nwapa, made her female character stand as a heroine, the type described by Joseph Campbell’s in The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Our analysis in this paper has used Joseph Campbell’s concepts in relation to the hero’s journey focusing on the different stages such as: the “Call to Adventure”, “Meeting the Mentor”, and the “Return”. Along her journey, Amaka faced difficulties and problems; yet, she finally emerged as a heroine who has successfully overcome all the imposed societal norms and expectations of the patriarchal system. At the end, she achieved a “self-actualization”, becoming economically independent and a significant vocal member of her society to incarnate the new African woman, expressing Flora Nwapa’s voice.