Gender Portrayal as Contingent Ideological System: A Case of Selected Igbo Novels
Keywords:
gender, portrayal, ideology, Igbo novel, womanismAbstract
Several scholars on gender studies argue that its portrayal in literature is dependent on certain ideological
beliefs in every social organization. The traditional Igbo society is patriarchal in nature. Patriarchy
promotes the idea that men are more privileged, than women, in social organization. This paper examines
the ideological systems which inform the gender portrayal in selected Igbo novels by male authors:
Tagbo Nzeakọ’s Nkọlị, Tony Ubesie’s Isi Akwụ Dara N’ala,and these written by women :Ada Meniru’s
Nwaeze, Nkeiru Kammelu’s Makụachukwu.These novelsreveal the ideological factors which necessitate
unbalance portrayal of the male and female genders. Womanism, a strand of Feminism, is employed to
guide the analysis. The womanists acknowledge gender differences and certain ideological tenets that
subject women, and propose different ways women can co-exist with men in order to liberate themselves
from the ideological shackles, without distortion of the family life. The novels reveal that the
construction of the images of men and women are based on patriarchal and domestic ideologies. The
paper submits that all forms of ideological tenets which encourage gender inequality and lop-sided
portrayal of the male and female genders must be challenged and opts for a deliberate, sensitive,
consistent, systematic approach of gender relations.
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