MARITAL PERCEPTION IN IGBO TRADITIONAL SOCIETY IN EARLY FEMALE-AUTHORED IGBO NOVEL, ADA MENIRU’S NWAEZE

Abstract

Marriage is a sacred institution among the Igbo people. It is not simply a relationship between a man and a woman.  It involves the whole family of the man and the woman, especially the kindred (ụmụnna) and at times, the entire village. However, marriage in Igbo society is not an institution a person undertakes and leaves at will. Igbo frowns at a person who abandons her marriage to her parent’s house. This paper examines how marriage is perceived in traditional Igbo society as depicted in early female-authored Igbo novel, Ada Meniru’s Nwaeze (1978). The novel is selected because it exposes the reality of marriage in traditional Igbo society. The analysis of the text is anchored on Feminism ideal about marriage. The female Igbo writer, Meniru, portrays marriage in traditional Igbo society as a communal responsibility and an alliance between families. The involvement of the families of the man and that of the girl is due to the existence of extended family system in Africa. Through marriage, the husband’s family extends to the wife’s family and vice versa. So, divorce is rarely acceptable. Consequently, Meniru views marriage in traditional Igbo society as a string which ties women forever, but points out the importance of education in women’s life. She reveals that an educated woman with a well-paid job can be fulfilled in life irrespective of marriage. Through her famale protagonist, Ifeyinwa, Meniru argues that a woman who is educated and self-reliant can leave her marriage if considered unfavourable and still live a fulfilled life. This is to establish that education empowers women to rise above negative societal practices that subjugate them. But African Womanists reject the radical destruction of family life. The womanists uphold sisterhood and the use of dialogue, negotiation and reconciliation as a peaceful means to achieve a harmonious marriage. Ifeyinwa, through the help of her girlfriend, Ebuzoaju, reconciles with her husband, Nwaeze and they marry in church.