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Summary
Flora Nwapa’s Efuru is a pioneering African feminist work that explores women’s struggles, experiences, and quest for autonomy. The novel is centred on Efuru, a successful entrepreneur who suffered two heartbreaks but chose herself over society’s conventional norms.
Flora Nwapa’s 1996 novel, Efuru, is a monument to the foundational African literature of feminism. Decades after its publication, the novel remains relevant, challenging the singular definition of womanhood tied exclusively to marriage and motherhood. Thematically, the novel centred on women’s autonomy, motherhood, patriarchy, and women’s economic independence. It explores the societal pressures placed on women, their experiences, and their journey towards discovering themselves outside the gender roles.
The novel follows the life of Efuru, a beautiful and industrious Igbo woman who lives in a village in colonial West Africa. After her only daughter, Ogonim, died and Adizua, her husband, eloped with another woman, Efuru marries an old friend, Gibert. Her marriage to the two men embodies a form of toxic masculinity. This toxic masculinity is expressed through men’s irresponsibility, sense of entitlement to male privilege, emotional stoicism, and even their failure to meet societal obligations. Adizua’s toxic masculinity is shown in his laziness and economic dependence. He abandons his family for another woman, demonstrating a key trait of toxic masculinity that hinders authentic relationships.
Gilbert’s expression of toxic masculinity is more profound. It is built on deception and prioritisation of male lineage. For instance, his secret son with a woman in a different town and the pressure he used on Efuru to falsely confess to adultery she did not commit reflect how male privilege means his action is justified, while any perceived shortcoming of the female is scrutinised and punished. In both marriages, the men’s actions highlight how cultural expectations of men allow them to have certain privileges, like extramarital affairs, while their actions are detrimental to women’s well-being.
One of the core themes of the novel is Efuru’s economic independence. Her success as a trader and farmer gives her a voice and power. Her autonomy allows her to question and leave the two marriages that left her undervalued. It is a declaration of female resilience, independence, and the possibility of women’s fulfilment outside patriarchal expectations. Flora expertly portrayed her as a maker of her own destiny, a woman who chooses and leaves her husbands for good. She built her wealth independently and eventually rejected the perceived gender roles society binds her to.
Flora’s use of Efuru to become a devotee of Uhamiri, a revered lake goddess who is also childless, significantly refines barrenness. She created barrenness not as a failure, but as a deity who has a spiritual power and destiny outside the gendered role. Efuru’s devotion to Uhamiri is a declaration that a woman’s life has meaning, purpose, and spiritual depth, regardless of her title as “mother”. This presents an affirmation that women can define themselves as they deem fit.
Ultimately, Efuru is an ebony character that pioneers African women’s voices, ensuring that their struggles, experiences, and self-actualisation are at the forefront. Readers found a compelling trait in her character: a woman who survives heartbreaks, defies societal expectations, and redefines herself by her own terms. Essentially, Efuru is a celebration of female economic dependence, strength, and quest for dignity and respect.
