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Marital Infidelity In The Second Wife By Baram Alkali

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First, the choice of a marriage partner, the choice, wishes or preferences of the girl is completely ignored. She is owned and is expected to give full allegiance to parents. When she refuses to heed to the expectation of the society, she is looked upon as a rebel. Laila displays her feminist trait by refusing to be condemned to marriage. On the whole, Baram Alkali through the character of Laila succeeds in communicating the message that the woman expects her self-will to be respected and that indeed she can enforce her choice and react when intimidated and subsumed. Feminist writers usually claim that the parental choice of a husband for their daughters is primarily predicated upon economic benefits of their daughter’s bride price. They argue …show more content…

They have consistently found faults with their male counterparts. It is therefore not surprising to create Balarabe Jr. as a character who is guilty of infidelity by keeping a concubine while he abandons Zaria, his wife. They have turned away from the fact that this contentious issue is a hydra-headed monster which is capable of been able to ruin a home. They claim that it may result in taking on a second wife, in complete neglect or abandonment or both. According to them, how does a wife react to marital infidelity in a situation where she expects no redress from society, tradition and family? This is actually the plight of Baram Alkali’s case in Personal Angle. According to her, a woman may react by self-pity and tears followed by a hardness to love as is Zaria’s reaction, sentimental, passive almost bordering on martyrdom. A wife may immerse herself in the hurt and pain of unrequited and neglected love leading to psychosis as is the case with Zaria. She demonstrates her guts and feminine will power to make a break of it and claim back her name and identity. Even after her separation from her husband, Alhaji Teller lusts hopelessly after her but she refuses to give in preferring to maintain her dignity.
In The Still Born (1984), Zaynab Alkali in treating the theme of husband infidelity, and abandonment, portrays it as a great challenge to female assertion and survival. Li takes advantage of that period of her life by acquiring more knowledge. This made her a better and more responsible person. Zaria resigns herself to her work finding solace and practically getting married to her

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