Literary Analysis Essay on Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga

Introduction

Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga has drawn scholarly attention since its first publication in 1988. The majority of the critic analysis has assessed it as a materialistic and pedagogical work, while others have analyzed it within the axis of feminism. For example, Elizabeth, in her work, views the novel as materialistic, while Okereke analyzed it along the patriarchy axis. However, only a few critics have analyzed the novel as a colonial one. In Nervous Conditions, there are various instances of the effect of colonialism, both positive and negative. For instance, Tambu, a major character, views education brought by colonialism as an undeniably significant thing since she holds that through it, she will have the ability to derive both herself and her family from ditches of poverty. The roots of the Rhodesian education system within the colonialism, as presented in the novel, nevertheless have negative effects such as physiological and mental problems on Nyasha and Tambu, among other characters. Although Tambu seems to enjoy the positive effects of colonialism, Dangarembga in Nervous Conditions paints a negative image of the colonial system, which is dangerous and damaging but still appealing for people with a desire to leave their traditional practices in favor of the western and white description of success.

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While colonialism can be described as an exploitative and capitalistic technique, it is used by a superior country called colonizer to control another less privileged state known as colonized, resulting in the destitution of the latter (Pelletier-Dumas et al., 873). Within Africa, the imperialist experiences were contradictory. There was an indirect rule policy of the Anglophones by the British and the Francophone assimilation by the French (Pelletier-Dumas et al., 874). Though these policies did not produce positive results in Africa, the former appeared minor since it incorporated various features of African's belief system. At the same time, the latter was worse since it enforced its culture entirely on the Africans. Besides, the assimilation policy takes natives as whites and goes to the extent of forcing them to imitate them. If this occurs, it leads to both negative and positive impacts among the natives (Pelletier-Dumas et al., 876). Thus, most of the natives' cultural values get lost while others fall into psychological breakdown as they attempt to join two cultures. This may, furthermore, cause their demise and other neuroses similar to those exhibited by Nyasha, Babamukuru, Maiguru, and Tambuzai in the Nervous Conditions. Such effects are also notable in other Francophone novels among different characters such as Jean Mezda in Mission to Kala and Samba Diallo in Ambigous Adventure. Nervous Conditions, however, illustrates the Francophone encounter in Zimbabwe, which is the context of the novel. Therefore, Dangarembga, through the novel, illustrates how Zimbabweans suffer different types of ailments due to their exposure to Western education that, to them, is an alien culture.

Dangarembga brings into light how colonial systems mentioned by some African prominent literature authors render the innocent native useless while capturing some of the adverse effects he experiences when he returns home from the missionary school. For example, Ngugi in his novel, Home Coming, expressed that, "the institution create this kind of ideology nurtured subservience, self-hatred, and actual suspicion.... society was a racial pyramid, the European in the minority at the top, Asia in the middle, and Africa forming the base" (23). Besides, Dangarembga identifies effects on colonialism within the native society depicted through Nhamo when she says, "but there was one terrible change. He had forgotten how to speak Shoba" (Dangarembga 52). Furthermore, this change limits Nhamo from having a productive conversation with his mother. This sudden and negative change due to colonialism foreshadows his demise that, in fact, also comes suddenly. It is evident that Nhamo's exposure to western education drives him to his doom. Indeed, this instance confirms Katrak's words that colonialism is associated with an aggressive force (Katrak 64). Besides, the subject of the purpose of English literature with the liberal colonial enterprise is a current area of interest, which offers an important clue to the present neo-colonial realities (Katrak 65). It stretches further and shows that colonialism causes a permanent impact on the colonized natives. For example, Nhamo's mother suffers a permanent psychological issue that emerges after the demise of her son, Nhamo. The author also reflects on the instance when Nhamo's mothers learn of Nyasha's breakdown. She talks like a prophet who has foreseen Nyasha's state when she says, "It is the Englishness. I said it would kill them" (Dangarembga, 203). Therefore, she reveals how innocent natives forget their language after returning from mission school where they talk English.

Nyasha's breakdown is a notable instance in the novel that colonialism has brought along many severe ailments. Besides, Samba Diallo experiences the same fate in Ambigous Adventures (Dia 114). He meets his demise while attempting to marry the western culture and Islamic faith that is contrary to his African culture and faith (Dia 120). Besides, Nyasa's efforts to adapt both his African culture and that of the west, which has different principles, cripples her. This indeed makes her confined in Shona as she attempts to adapt to her culture though it emerges abortive every time she tries so. Although her father shows increased efforts in forcing the African values into her, Nyasha chooses not to adopt them, something that ends up hurting her. Besides, her internal emotional trauma becomes visible when she declines western education, which is the main contributor to her current situation. This is evident when she states that, ".... their history, fucking liars. Their bloody liars" (Sage 166). Therefore, the state of Nyasa backs Jackson's stand concerning the negative impact of colonial education.

Despite colonial education, causing psychological damage among different characters in the novel, it also results in mental effects through the British culture, values, and English language. It is visible in the novel that Babamukure additionally experiences cultural alienation. There is no doubt that western education makes him move away and abandon his Shona culture. In fact, he turns to Christianity and goes a step further, to impose it on his family (Babamukuru). Besides, Christianity is furthermore, revealed in Babamukuru's stress of having marriage between Jeremiah and his wife. Babamukuru holds that their marriage is illegal since it is not formalized within the Christianity doctrine. His character is similar to Kambili's father in Purple Hibiscus, who is depicted forcing his entire family to fully fevout to Catholic Chimanda (Stobie 423). Babamukuru's authoritative aspect, furthermore, resembles that of Okonkwo in Things Fall Apart by Achebe (Gogoi 2). Besides, the emotional condition that Tambu goes through is tragic. It is attributed to the biblical teachings she acquires while at the Sacred Heart. Nevertheless, having been warned by her mother, Tambu promises never to receive additional teachings when she says, "......no longer could I accept Sacred Heart and what it represented as a sunrise on my horizon.... something my mind began to assert itself, to question and refuse to be brainwashed (Dangarembga 203). Thus, her vow reveals that colonial education was noted designed to free the natives. Instead, it was the strategy via which the interest and values of colonial would ultimately be adopted by the colonized and viewed as theirs (Dangarembga 218).

Even though colonialism introduces the ailments mentioned above, it has some positive effects on the colonized. It provides a stage for the colonized to live best lives. For example, such benefits are manifested in Jeremiah's statement when he expresses that if he had a brain similar to that of Nhamo, he would live in a brick mansion with lights and equipped with both running hot and cold water instead of surviving in their farm (Dangarembga 5). Besides, colonialism enables Babamukuru to cater not only for his needs but also those of his extended family. He emerges as an image to associate with within Shona, and most individuals respect him. Colonialism, furthermore, gives his wife Maiguru, a chance to be equal both financially and academically with Banamukuru. Maiguru, nonetheless, breaks the African norm, in a similar manner to Tambu, where women are seen as their husbands' appendages. Stobi, however, presents a character who resembles Maiguru, and he is known as Ifeoma in Purple Hibiscus, who are given best lives as a result of colonialism (Stobie 425). Thus, this makes it entirely accurate that the colonialism experienced in the Nervous Conditions did not only introduce adverse effects, but it as well brought about some benefits.

Supriya Nair, in his essay, expresses how Tambu utilizes her colonial education to attain her goals and enhance her social status. Nair argues that it is possible to read and note Tambu's willingness to receive colonial education as a correlative desire for colonial capital and bourgeois states (131). She also states that the tendency to conflate colonial education easily simplifies the role of women, particularly in developing countries. Thus, instead of complaining about Tambu's "selling out" to bourgeois capital forces, Nair historicizes her choice and highlights it as a determined decision to change her homestead simultaneously and acknowledges her limited alternatives. This is, furthermore, seen when Tambu resolves that, "If you were clever, you slipped through any loophole you could find. I, for one, was going to take any opportunity that came my way. I was quite sure about that; I was very determined ... I would go" (Dangarembga). Through this instance, Nair reveals Tambu's desires for the broken line of harmony presented by Ngugi, which stretches from the peasant background to the formal colonial learning institution. Besides, Nair presents from the novel various living conditions surrounding Tambu in her homestead, which she seems ambivalently, with both detachment and attachment (Wa Thiongo 132). Nair also argues that the author persistently catalogs life, particularly during the festival, to be occasions of happiness when extended families come together (Wa Thiongo 133). Dangarembga writes that "Twenty-four stomachs to fill three times a day. Twenty-four bodies for which water had to be fetched from Nyamarira daily. Twenty-four people's laundry to wash as often as possible" (Dangarembga). Besides, these are all types of work that women are assigned by society to accomplish in the novel. Thus, due to these living conditions, Tambu fight all the tempts to discourage her from proceeding with her education since she views it as the only strategy, however, treacherous and impure, of changing her vulnerable status.

While the colonial school provided significant assistance, it was additionally a dangerous place for growing girls who lost their sense of position in the traditional family structure. Besides, this is viewed as the absence of mooring that later resulted in the woman's immorality or looseness. In one instance, Nyasa proposed that her cousin Tambu should abstain from convent education based on both the political and intellectual factors (Dangarembga). Through this case, Nyasha argues that if her cousin joins the locus of colonial civic control, it could make a dummy out of her. Besides, the protest of Tambu's mother reveals a complete withdrawal from various domestic activities as she continued to grieve the imminent loss of Tambu to white people (Dangarembga). Therefore, this represents the threat...