《为母之乐》:透视非洲女性的新视角

The Joys of Motherhood: A New Perspective to Probe into African Women

长期以来,人们普遍认为非洲女性是受到了父权制社会残酷虐待的奴隶,是被父权制社会吞噬的"软食","生儿育女者"和"役畜"。然而,非洲女作家布奇·埃梅切特根据自己的人生经历创作的代表作之一《为母之乐》为我们提供了一个透视非洲女性的新视角。女主人公Nnu Ego一心想做母亲,最后实现了自己的愿望,养育了八个子女,但却未从中得到任何乐趣,最后孤零零地死在路边。文章通过分析Nnu Ego的悲剧成因后指出,做母亲并不总能带来幸福,女人的不幸在很大程度上是自己造成的;女人实际上有权力、有能力选择自己的命运。

African women have long been regarded as slaves brutalized and abused by the patriarchal society,as “smooth pap” served up to be devoured by patriarchy,“breeder,” and “beasts of burden”. However,The Joys of Motherhood written by Buchi Emecheta,an African female writer,provides us with a new perspective to probe into African women. What the heroine Nnu Ego wants to do most is to be a mother. Nevertheless,although she brings up eight children,she dies a lonely death in her middle age. So,this paper, by analyzing the life experience of the heroine Nnu Ego,proposes that being a mother cannot always bring women happiness and women’s unhappiness is brought about by women themselves. In fact,women have the power and ability to choose their own fate.