'Individualism In The Stillborn'

as if Nigeria feminist writers are intimidated b y their male counterparts, rather, they are suspicious of what they see as the overwhelmingly radical, confrontational feminism of the west. Egya frowns at what he terms as superfluously extra- textual assumptions of some feminist critics/scholars that simply echo the sentiments that tempt less-equipped feminist critics to make unguarded, unsubstantiated generalisations. An instance of this unsubstantiated generalisation is Acholonu’s declaration that The Stillborn is “the first novel to depict the social protest and radicalism of a Muslim woman in quest of individualism and from the fetters of a patriarchal feudal Muslim system” (3). This, according to Egya calls for a re-reading of the novel. One of these unsubstantiated claims is made by Kolawole who claims that “the three female

Marriage is described as a testing ground for the woman. Tradition has it that a woman’s crown and status cannot be guaranteed outside marriage and motherhood. These are shown to be a girl’s acclaimed ambition. Basheika had to abandon her thriving supermarket business so as to maintain not only her dignity as a married woman but to salvage her collapsing marriage and be reunited with her children who are drifting away from her. An unmarried girl is seen to have failed in the eyes of the society so is a childless wife; a mother of daughters only is still unfulfilled in a world considered to be solidly patriarchal. The problems of the woman and marriage are said to be hierarchical. Hajia Laila in spite of her wealth and freedom does not enjoy the respect of a married woman. This is because the society expects any responsible woman of marrying age to be in the house of a man. A widow no matter how wealthy is expected to remarry so as to enjoy the full respect of a married