Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2002. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study examines the portrayal of women characters in two postcolonial
Zulu novels: Asikho ndawo bakithi (1996) and Itshwe/e lempangele (1998).
The study is approached from a feminist theoretical framework and focuses
on gender and culture. The study concentrates on patriarchal relations
because they are most widely used as the foundation for a specifically
feminist investigation of sexual relations.
The study examines two postcolonial novels with the objective to establish
how the writers portray women characters after the introduction of the 1994
democratic dispensation in South Africa. In the past, women characters were
portrayed as stereotypes: they were either too bad or too good in line with the
dictates of the patriarchal society where women are expected to take a
subservient role, and men to assume the dominant role. This has made the
character of women in fiction exaggerated and one-dimensional in the sense
that the women characters do not develop, nor do they behave in various
respects like normal human beings. The women characters are often victims
of several circumstances caused by patriarchy and other socio-economic
factors. The aim of analisying the two novels is to compare them and observe
how women, as literary characters are portrayed.
The study found that in Asikho ndawo bakithi women characters are portrayed
as normal women who respond appropriately to the challenges of their
environment. Yet the fact that they live in abject poverty and are homeless,
make them victims of the social ills that take their lives cheap. This situation
creates tremendous stress and pressure on their lives and leads to gradual
moral degradation beyond their control.
Itshwele lempangele can be viewed as a post-apartheid novel because it has
democritised images of women characters. For example, Ndelebuli teaches
his father, Sonqisha that he should never beat up his mother whenever they
have problem. Ndelebuli thus becomes an epitome of a young man who treats
maidens and married women with dignity, respect and tolerance in the novel.
Another issue addressed in the novel is that the women characters portrayed belong to multicultural environments and the exemplary marriages are crosscultural.
Of the two novels, Itshwele lempangele presents images of liberated women
whereas in Asikho ndawo bakithi, women characters are portrayed as victims
of the legacy of the social ills of the apartheid era. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie ondersoek die uitbeelding van vroue in twee post-koloniale
novelles in Zulu: Asikho ndawo bakithi (1996) en Itshwe/e lempange/e (1998).
Die studie word benader vanuit 'n feministiese toeretiese raamwerk en fokus
op gender en kultuuraspekte soos gemanifesteer in die novelles. Die studie
fokus op patriargale verhoudinge omdat dit mees algemeen gebruik word as
basis vir 'n spesifiek-feministiese ondersoek van seksuele verhoudinge.
Die studie ondersoek twee postkoloniale novelles met die doel om vas te stel
hoe die skrywers vroue-karakters voorstel na die invoer van die demokratiese
bestel in 1994 in Suid-Afrika. In die verlede is vrouekarakters uitgebeeld as
stereotipes: hulle was of net positief of net negatief uitgebeeld, in Iyn met die
patriargale gemeenskap waarin van vroue verwag is om In onderdanige rol te
he, en van mans verwag is om In dominante rol te he. Dit het die karakters
van vroue in fiksie een-dimensioneel gemaak in die sin dat vrouekarakters nie
ontwikkel nie en dat hulle in verskeie opsigte nie optree soos normale mense
nie. Die vrouekarakters was dikwels slagoffers van verskillende omstandighede
wat toegeskryf kan word aan patriargie en sosio-ekonomiese faktore.
Die doelstelling met die analise van die twee novelles is om hulle te vergelyk
en vas te stel hoe vroue as llterere karakters uitgebeeld word.
Daar is bevind in die studie dat in Asikho ndawo bakithi vrouekarakters as
normale vroue uitgebeeld word wat gepas reageer op die uitdagings van die
omgewing. Nietemin veroorsaak die feit dat vroue in uiterste armoede leef en
dikwels nie huise het nie, dat hulle slagoffers word van sosiale euwels wat
hulle lewens goedkoop maak. Hierdie toestand veroorsaak groot spanning en
druk op hulle lewens en dit lei tot morele agteruitgang buite hulle beheer.
Itshwe/e lempange/e kan beskou word as In post-apartheid novelle omdat dit
die beeld van vroue gedemokratiseer het. Die karakter Ndelebuli leer
byvoorbeeld vir sy vader dat hy nooit sy moeder moet slaan nie, watter
probleem hulle ookal mag he. Ndelebuli word die toonbeeld in die novelle van
hoe jong meisies en vroue met respek en waardigheid behandel moet word. In
Verdere verskynsel wat aangespreek word in die novelle is dat die vrouekarakters wat uitgebeeld word vanuit multikulturele omgewings kom en
dat goeie voorbeelde van huwelike kruiskultureel is.
Itshwele lempangele bied In uitbeelding van bevryde vroue, terwyl Asikho
ndawo bakithi vroue uitbeeld as slagoffers van die nalatenskap van die
sosiale euwels van apartheid.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/52881 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Malaza, Thembekile Gladys |
| Contributors | Zulu, N. S., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of African Languages. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | zul_ZA |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | xi, 121 p. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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