Saturday, November 19, 2016
The Role of Women -- DKH
In Death and the King's Horseman, Wole Soyinka makes a comment on the role of women in Nigeria during the 1940s -- or rather, he doesn't. In the play, although there are a few female characters, Soyinka points out the overt sexism happening at the time. First off, Elesin just "chooses" a girl in the market whom he'd like to take as his wife -- also meaning that this would make her unfit to marry any other man. Also, once Elesin commits the ritual suicide, she will be widowed. Furthermore, the woman's name is never mentioned in the play. Then, later in the play in response to Jane Pilking's involvement in the conversation between Pilkings and Elesin, Elesin states "That is my wife sitting down there. You notice how still and silent she sits? My business is with your husband" (54). In Death and The King's Horseman, Soyinka is attempting to point out the customs of the time, but I do not believe he genuinely thinks this way about women.
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I agree. There is a difference between an author making a commentary to relay his personal thoughts to the reader versus merely telling a story thats significance is left up to the reader's interpretation. In "Death and the King's Horseman", I believe there are some commentaries, such as racism and entitlement amongst whites in Africa, that aligns with Soyinka's beliefs whereas there are others, such as the role of women, that do not.
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