Set in 1934 The Joys of Motherhood presents the life of Nnu Ego, the daughter of a notable man in Ibuza, a village in Nigeria. Brought up in the Ibo culture, she is taught that women are valorized by their ability to bear children and to nurture their families.
The Pains of Womanhood
Unfortunately, the idealistic vision of motherhood fails to encompass any challenges women often experience. Nnu Ego never expected her marriage to Amatokwu, her first husband, to be a failure due to her difficulty to conceive children. As months go by and she has yet to be with child, the main character becomes chastised by her husband and his people and, much to her family’s dismay, is taken back to her native village. Consumed with shame she must redeem her father’s reputation by marrying Nnaife, who lives in Lagos, miles away from the comfort of Ibuza.
Nnu Ego's chi
As a person’s chi or personal god determines one’s fate in the Ibo tradition, Nnu Ego’s chi is said to be the angered spirit of her father’s slave. As a matter of fact the slave’s death didn’t conform to native rituals, and the spirit attempts to avenge itself by dictating Nnu Ego’s life. In essence the main character whole-heartedly blames her personal god for her misadventures, but has to accept its manifestations.
A Mother’s Struggles
Despite her unhappy union with Nnaife Nnu Ego finally feels the joys of motherhood within a few months. But the heavy demands of living under colonial control sharply contrast with the slow pace of her village. The often ill-fortuned woman deals with the highs and lows of womanhood and motherhood; nonetheless she is blessed with 8 beautiful children. As her financial resources are scarce and the living conditions in Lagos are difficult, the protagonist's self-reliance heightens and she aptly manages to educate her sons and daughters.
Demystifying Motherhood
Emecheta’s portrayal of Nnu Ego serves to unveil the truths of motherhood and to illustrate how, through the ages, patriarchal societies established standards for female valorization. Due to her rural upbringing the protagonist doesn’t know how to find fulfillment beyond the realm of domesticity. Furthermore Nnu Ego's story illustrates that women often associate gaining merit and respect through selflessness. The main character often compares her life as a mother as that of a slave, in which the “love and duty for her children were like her chain of slavery” (186). Moreover, rather than shape her own destiny, she abides by the manifestations of her chi and accepts her woes as an inevitability of her misfortune.
About the Author
Overall The Joys of Motherhood is an easy read characterized by its subtle, yet compelling narrative. Emecheta's writing style has the powerful quality to transcend time and to resonate with modern women of all walks of life. This is the author's fifth novel; her other works include The Moonlit Bride, Our Own Freedom and The Slave Girl for which she received the New Statesman Jock Campbell Award for Commonwealth Writers in 1979
Emecheta, Buchi. The Joys of Motherhood. New York: George Braziller, 1979. ISBN 0-8076-0950-1
