SNAIL-SENSE SHEROES: RECONFIGURING WOMANHOOD IN AKACHI ADIMORA-EZEIGBO'S HOUSE OF SYMBOLS

Abstract

The African woman remains a multiplicity of identities. In ventilating her image, Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo has been consistent in her portrayal of the African woman, her roles, placement and the gender bias within cultural and social systems that have been asphyxiating for the woman in her narratives. Adimora-Ezeigbo sets out to reconfigure womanhood in House of Symbols by creating sheroes: unconventional women in Umuga society. These formidable and dynamic female characters are admired for their resilience, courage and unrivalled accomplishments in the narrative. This paper adopts Adimora-Ezeigbo's Snail- Sense ideology in investigating the author's strategy in reconfiguring womanhood in House of Symbols. To achieve this objective, the paper examines the lives, experiences and achievements of the author's major female characters. The paper reveals that Adimora- Ezeigbo's subversive stance against patriarchy in House of symbols is strategic. She projects an empowered female protagonist, vibrant female characters and moves away from silencing antagonistic patriarchal forces to projecting a rather significant image of the African woman that achieves the agenda of reconfiguring womanhood within the context of an evolving traditional African society. The paper concludes that, the African woman must be proactive in adopting strategic alternatives for achieving self- actualisation and rejuvenation.