Devil on the Cross: Wariinga Character Analysis and Development Devil on the Cross by Ngugi Wa Thiong’o is a compelling and curious novel that examines both the physical and mental journey of a young woman, Wariinga. Along the way she encounters many people and challenges that shape her identity.
Eventually Wariinga develops into what Ngugi considers ideal Kenyan femininity to be. However, when the reader first encounters her in the novel, she is confused by the message of what it means to be beautiful by European standards. The gicaandi player describes Wariinga's mental distress over her image and says:
“Wariinga was convinced that her appearance was the root cause of all her problems. Whenever she looked at herself in the mirror
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Her boyfriend refused to believe her because the gain that is associated with becoming a powerful man's "sugar girl" was thought to be irresistible to women, due to the fact that so many women gave into the temptation. In reality, this "temptation" was actually victimization; women like Wariinga who refused to sleep with their bosses were replaced with women who would. In order to break free from her restricted life, Wariinga must go on a quest to find her true identity. But to do this, she must first reject the cultural voice that tells her she is ugly and weak and discover her power as a woman and an individual. Through a journey to her hometown of Ilmorog, Wariinga gradually changes the way she views herself and how she operates in her society; she becomes a feminist. This not only means that she gets to reclaim her sexuality, she also is able to discard what she has assumed to be true about her identity in terms of Christianity, the work force, and the war for national Uhuru (independence). Her role in Uhuru is as important as her process of adopting feminist values.
Wariinga's sexuality is a major illustrates the sexual oppression of women in society. Early on, Wariinga gave into the neo-colonial voice as a schoolgirl and became the sugar girl of a man whom the text refers to as the Rich Old Man from Ngorika. This man remains nameless for two reasons; he is a symbolic representation of
The award-winning author, Luis Alberto Urrea, creator of The Hummingbird's Daughter, Into the Beautiful North, and The Devil's Highway, describes The Devil’s Highway which occurred in May of 2001, one of many that impacted the desert on undocumented immigrants. which is a desert located beyond Sonora, Mexico. It is a desert which few turn to in able to cross over. A group of illegal Mexican were left for dead after attempting to cross; they were left stranded after traveling for days in the wrong direction, through mountains, desert and only a small amount of water along with a few personal items. The Devil’s Highway name was set out to one’s belief “bad medicine” (5). Even though the desert is an obstacle itself, there are still other physical
“ His Expression remained the same- cynical, defiant, painful” (Gaines 84). Miss Emma did not think that Jefferson knew he was going to be put in the chair, which kind of furthers this whole idea that everyone has that’s he’s incompetent. Even his own aunt without realizing has degraded him. I think that maybe Jefferson can’t read or write but he’s a human who understands laws. At the beginning of the book I was feeding into the notion that he was mentally challenged, but I think now that he just grew up in the uneducated black stigma put on him by white people not letting black school have the same education. And so he knows he is going to die, he doesn’t fight he doesn’t resist he faces the unjust punishment with grace and is going o let
In this short story by Tim O’Brien, Lieutenant Jimmy cross leads a platoon of men in the Vietnam War. Unable to keep his thoughts from his unrequited love interested, Martha, Cross allowed his platoon to become lax in their duties and mentally removed from the war. The conflict arises when one of his men, Ted Lavender, is killed on a mission. The conflict is resolved when Lieutenant Cross abandons his youthful fantasy world for the reality of the war he is living in. Cross finds new purpose in the vigilant leadership of his men.
Often times individuals choose their friends based on the commonalities they share and the experiences that bring them together. However, like any relationship, lacking genuine intentions can cause a friendship to fail. A Separate Peace by John Knowles characterizes two main characters, Phineas (Finny) and Gene, as they attend a New England boarding school in the midst of World War II. Certain behavior indicates that Gene is jealous of his close friend Finny, therefore Gene and Finny cannot be best friends. Gene’s initial resentment grows causing to him to seek Finny’s failure, mentally disband their friendship, and inflict physical pain upon him.
In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John Proctor, the protagonist, is a farmer in his middle thirties. The author gives little to no detailed physical description of him, but from Proctor’s speech, we can still picture him as a strong and powerful man who is able to keep every situation under the control, the kind of personality which earns him deep respect and even fear from the people in town. On the other hand, Abigail Williams, the antagonist, plays an inferior role as an orphan who has no social status in a place like Salem. Over the course of the play, John Proctor is absolutely awakened and transformed by Abigail Williams. In the end, he overcomes the crucible by releasing himself from his guilt of
In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the men and women appear to have different roles in the society. The men attempt to live a more noble life while emasculating the power of the women. Throughout the poem, women display hints of their potential through manipulation and trickery, traits that are uneasily recognized by men as growing power.
Both Dade and Julian where fixated on proving themselves right and defending their beliefs about
These expectations increased when she was in the presence of “great power, [her] mother talking story” (20). In one particular situation, the narrator recalls her mother singing about Fa Mu Lan, the woman warrior. Although her mother expected her daughter to become a wife or a slave, the narrator had a different idea; she would “grow up a woman warrior” (20). As a young girl, she said that she “couldn’t tell where the stories left off and the dreams began” (19). This is the case in “White Tigers.” The narrator’s dream-state takes readers into the mind of a girl who attempts to please her mother and entire family by becoming a woman warrior. This is possibly an attempt to subside much of the harsh ridicule she receives from her mother due to cultural differences. Although this is a key factor in her early childhood, she learns to block out these criticisms as she grows older.
All her life, Waris did not know that she was different from a huge part of women on Earth; in her head, every respectable woman had the same anatomy as her. The first time she realized that she was unique and what she lived was disgustingly unfair happened when she talked with Marilyn of girly things. When health problems due to circumcision had reported, she decided to get a surgery to recover the comfort every girl deserves with a normal vagina. By this, she was disowning her culture and her religion and have been disowned from her tribe. Moreover, when she received a regulatory passport, it was impossible for her to come back in her native country, which meant that she could not see again all her family because she was banished from her
The popular medieval romance, “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,” explores many aspects of the Arthurian legend, including chivalry, religion, and courtly love. Although the poem does feature many female characters, one aspect that the Gawain poet does not touch upon is the role and place of women in this feudal society; all of whom live under the objectification of a male driven culture. One might say that the women featured in this romance are focused on more heavily than that of other literature during this time period and that might be true; however, after a closer look the reader can see how it’s the little things that the Gawain poet does or doesn’t do that diminish the importance of the four main female characters in this poem.
In the Zulu tribe women were in charge and due to the Marriage Property Act of 1882 women could own their own land and that is exactly what Fiela wanted. Keeping this in mind, Matthee reveals sexism by showing how Elias Van Rooyen treats his family and the family structure of both the Van Rooyen’s and Komoeties. Elias speaks to his family, mainly his wife as if she is less than him because he is the man of their home and it is shown when he says this to her, “Good gracious, Barta, can’t you walk a bit faster”. Elias thought he could command Barta in any way he wanted, no matter the situation or how ugly and unkind he came off. “..”You will not be barefoot and you won’t sound like that either.
Throughout Dangarembga’s seminal prose novel and Bâ’s epistolary novel, the authors explore the omnipresent nature of gender inequality in a society and the inequitable standards of life that all women have to either endure or reject. Both texts present their protagonists, Tambudzai and Ramatoulaye - one a developing adolescent, the other a widowed mother of twelve, reflecting on the struggles of being women in their respective patriarchal societies of Zimbabwe and Senegal. Through an investigation into the social, cultural and psychological contexts, the texts contribute an understanding into the personal struggles of women through portrayals of the conflicting tensions between patriarchy and the female autonomy, the significance of female solidarity and the woman 's struggle towards self-emancipation and the resulting formation of identity.
Long ago, in a small village there was a girl named Galia North, meaning “power”. Galia was the daughter of the local blacksmith, he raised her to be sweet and gentle to all, but Galia was a was fierce and strong, Galia’s real passion was becoming a warrior and so she did. Everyman in Galia’s village wanted her to be their wife because of her strength and beauty but Galia was satisfied by none of them.
She is portrayed as the middle aged, educated lady. She, with her three children and husband, is living in exile in India. She is devoted to her children, hurt at the flirtation of her husband. She is sensitive by nature, trying to understand why there is communal discrimination and discord in India. Usha, the caretaker of the villa through her Ma come to know about the brutality and oppression of the Worlis and there redemption through a woman whom they recall as named
The novel centers itself on the storylines of two contrasting households, the Komoeties and the Van Rooyens; Matthee fuels these striking disparities between the households by making use of foils. Matthee makes it a point to arm each of characters in the families with vividly contrasting character traits. The contrasting pairing of Barta and Fiela is an ideal example. They both paint contrasting pictures of the roles and stature of women in society. Fiela is portrayed as a strong and courageous woman, who is in complete charge of her home and family, as can be seen clearly in the narrative below: “Fiela laid down new rules for Wolwekraal: first of all, Selling’s work bench was shifted to the west of the house” (Matthee 184). The quote above resonates with readers and evidently depicts Fiela’s character as being symbolic of a Matriarchal society. She is shown to go against the typical norms seen in society, Barta, on the other hand, is shown to conform to societal norms of the prevalent patriarchal society, and is shown in a rather subservient and passive light. Through the juxtaposition of these characters, both of whom symbolize the sexist tensions in the novel, while depicting completely contradictory notions, Matthee is also able to evidently create a distinction between the Dutch colonizers