Rebeka Njau's social vision
Abstract
This study examines Rebeka Njau's published literary
works, name 1y: Ripples in the Pool, The Scar, and The
Hypocrite both thematically and stylistically in order to
reveal her social vision.
This thesis is divided into four chapters. Chapter
One discusses Njau's social vision in the short story form,
The Hypocrite.
Chapter Two discusses the writer's social vision in
the short play The Scar within the framework of the tragic
form. Here there is preoccupation with one dominating theme
'The Heroine and Iconoclasm; the African woman and
Tradition'. The chapter examines the tragedy and
predicament of women in a society where there exists
suppressive Patriarchal customs and traditions to which a
woman is expected to adhere.
Chapter Three entails a discussion of Njau's social
vision in tragic situations in the novel Ripples in the
Pool. Four themes have been analyzed in relation to the
novel, that is: 'The Heroine and Iconoclasm; the African
woman and Tradition', 'The plight of women under the male
gender', 'Love for money, power and the concomitant
iniquities' and 'The deities and their potency'. Like
chapter Two, the execution of all these themes has been
done against the backcloth of tragic realism.
This thesis concludes by arguing that Rebeka Njau is
one writer who believes in art with social relevance. She
presents herself as a teacher and a social critic who
endeavours to unearth the sufferings of men, identifies the
cause and bestows upon her readers implied solutions; in a
nutshell, Njau is concerned with how society can be
ameliorated.
Citation
Mugubi, J.G.O.(1994). Rebeka Njau's social visionSponsorhip
University of NairobiPublisher
Department of Literature, University of Nairobi
Description
MA(Literature) - Thesis