The Literary Analysis of Flora Nwapa's Efuru by Lene Ododomu

THE LITERARY ANALYSIS OF FLORA NWAPA'S EFURU BY LENE ODODOMU AN UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT OF ENGLISH IN THE UNIVERSITY OF ABUJA

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Text title: Efuru

Author: Flora Nwapa

Genre type: Novel

Novel type: Tragedy

Year of publication: 1966

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CONTENTS

1. Author's background

2. Introduction

3. Plot summary

4. Chapter by chapter summary

5. Characters

6. Themes

7. Literary techniques

8. Setting

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                  AUTHOR'S BACKGROUND

Flora Nwapa was born on the 13th of January, 1931 and brought up at Oguta in eastern Nigeria. She was the eldest of six children born to parents, Christopher Ijeoma, an agent for the United Africa Company and Martha Nwapa, a drama teacher. Growing up, she attended missionary schools in Oguta, Port Harcourt and Lagos. In her early education, she read and fell in love with the works of Jane Austen, William Thackeray, and Charles Dickens. In an interview with The Guardian she explains, “My whole life has been a mixture of influences … and at school, we were encouraged to speak in our tribal language and to respect our traditions and heritage”. As the eldest child, she took great care and responsibility in helping her mother with her sewing and mending business. It was while working with her mother that her first inspirations for writing her authentic and compelling stories of African women came. Local women in her Igbo community who would come to have their clothing mended, would tell her fascinating stories of Igbo history, and mythology, of goddesses, and magic.

After graduating from the University of Ibadan in 1957 and earning her BA, Nwapa traveled to Scotland briefly, earning her diploma in education from Edinburgh University in 1959. Immediately thereafter, she returned to Nigeria and took on a variety of department and teaching jobs; her first being Education Officer in Calabar. She then went on that same year to teach English and Geography at the Queen’s School in Enugu from late 1959 until 1962. While teaching in Enugu the 30-year-old Nwapa wrote her first and most well acclaimed novel, Efuru. The book was officially published in 1966 while she was working as the Assistant Registrar at the University of Lagos. The book, however, was sent to her colleague, Chinua Achebe, the most famous African writer of the modern era, (author of Things Fall Apart), who loved the story so much that he sent it to Heinemann Publishing. Efuru made Nwapa the first published female Nigerian author, and the first book published in English by a female African writer. Then she was called the mother of modern African literature. Through the first novel, Efuru, she achieved international recognition. Nwapa followed Efuru with the novels such as Idu (1970), Never Again (1975), One is Enough (1981), and Women are Different (1986). She published two collections of stories –This is Lagos (1971) and Wives at War (1980) – and the volume of poems, Cassava Song and Rice Song (1986). She is also the author of several books for children.

In the year 1974, Nwapa founded Tana Press, and in 1977 the Flora Nwapa Company, publishing her own adult and children's literature as well as works by other writers. She gave as one of her objectives: "to inform and educate women all over the world, especially Feminists (both with capital F and small f) about the role of women in Nigeria, their economic independence, their relationship with their husbands and children, their traditional beliefs and their status in the community as a whole". Tana has been described as "the first press run by a woman and targeted at a large female audience. A project far beyond its time at a period when no one saw African women as constituting a community of readers or a book-buying demographic." At the beginning of Nwapa's literary career, as a result of the way feminism was viewed and the way it was portrayed, she had no interest in feminism because she felt it was prejudiced against men but she eventually came to terms with it. However, her struggle with feminism is representative of the present conversations about the movement in Africa and the world at large. 

In 1967, Nwapa married industrialist, Gogo Nwakuche, who supported her efforts as an author. Meanwhile, Nigeria had entered into The Biafran civil war which Nwapa believed was, to a certain extent, actually liberating for women. Although Nwapa’s Igbo heritage forced her to leave her job in Lagos and return to Eastern Nigeria during the war, it allowed her to witness the strength of the women in her community. She states, “the women would dress as Yorubas and go into the enemy villages to trade. It was us who found food for the men and kept the family going. We were the backbone of the war. And, for some women, this was the start of a highly successful career in trading” (Cavendish, 1992, 17). 

Flora Nwapa died of pneumonia on 16 October 1993 at a hospital in Enugu, Nigeria, at the age of 62. Her final novel, The Lake Goddess , was posthumously published. She had three lovely children namely: Ejine Nzeribe (from her

previous relationship), Uzoma Gogo Nwakuche and Amede Nzeribe.

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                         INTRODUCTION

"Efuru" is a 1966 novel by Flora Nwapa that explores themes of feminism, love, tradition, barrenness, poverty, subjugation of women in a polygamous marriage, etc. Efuru is a strong and beautiful female heroine, growing up in a rural Igbo community, the daughter of a well-respected and celebrated man in the community. However, she falls in love with a poor farmer, Adizua, with whom she elopes. Efuru is able to support her husband financially by rejecting his idea of having her work on their farm and instead becoming a woman of trade. Her success in trading causes Adizua to stop farming and join her in the business. Eventually, Adizua and Efuru have a daughter, but she is suddenly taken by a fever. Upon the death of the baby, Adizua abandons Efuru and she comes to learn that he has left her for another woman he also had a child with towards the end of their marriage. Because Efuru grew close to her in-laws while she was married to Adizua, they suggest she stay with them; but she refuses and decides to look for Adizua instead. Unable to find him, Efuru decides to return to her Father’s home and to her surprise he receives her with joy - grateful that she has returned to him. Efuru then meets another man back in her community named Gilbert. Eventually they marry and this time instead of eloping, follow the marriage traditions and customs of the Igbo culture. Efuru and Gilbert work together as equal business partners proving their marriage to be a much happier one than Efuru’s first marriage. Yet, when Efuru is unable to have children the marriage grows bitter and inharmonious. She decides to leave Gilbert after being accused of commiting adultery to instead dedicate herself to the goddess of the lake, Uhamiri, whom she believes she has been chosen to serve. Efuru eventually realizes that Uhamiri is also incapable of having children, but rather, possesses the qualities of beauty, wealth, and wisdom, similar to Efuru herself. This gives her the confidence to live as an independent woman in her community.

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                        PLOT SUMMARY

First of all, plot is the arrangement of the various actions of characters or events in a novel or any other work of art. It also refers to the outline of a novel or play. The events that constitute the novel are logically and sequentially arranged. The book, Efuru, is a novel that is divided into Seventeen Chapters. The story is set in West African Igbo rural community. The story of the novel revolves around the eponymous and central character named Efuru who is described as a strong, beautiful and rebellious, and she is s daughter of a well respected and prominent man of Oguta's village. The novel is, however, begins after Efuru who falls in love with a poor farmer and a young man of limited prospects, from a much less prominent family called Adizua. After a whirlwind two-week courtship, the young couple elopes because Adizua cannot afford to pay the necessary bride price as demands by the tradition. The elopement causes a great scandal in the village.

After eloping with Adizua, with the anger of her father and his people who want to avoid shame from coming to their family, some young men are sent to Efuru in her new home with the intension to bring her back home. But while getting there and unfortunately meet Adizua absent, they became satisfied with what they saw on Efuru. Pleasantly, she welcomes them very well traditionally with etiquette. They saw that she is happy with her marriage so decide not to disturb her happiness, but advice her to convince her husband to fulfill the demand of the tradition by paying her dowry: 

       "We shall go, our daughter; the spokesmen said. You seem to be happy here and we wonder why your father wants us to bring you back. We shall tell him what we have seen. But your husband must fulfill the customs of our people. It is very important. Our enemies will laugh at us. Tell your husband, he must see your father. Let him not be afraid" (p. 9).

Nwashike Ogene, Efuru's father was not satisfied with what the young emissaries who were sent to bring his daughter back home told him. He sends another batch of young emissaries from his village but nothing came out of it, so he gave up. Efuru’s charm and determination to remain with her husband wins over the elders and, eventually, her own father, Nwashike Ogene who allows her to live by her happiness.

During the early days of the marriage, Adizua works on a distant farm while Efuru establishes herself as a trader and

business woman. Motherless since childhood, she also develops close relationships with her mother-in-law, Ossai, and Ossai’s outspoken sister, Ajanupu. Ossai even arranges for Efuru to undergo circumcision—euphemistically referred to as “her bath”—in hopes that it will help her daughter-in-law conceive a child. After only a month’s confinement, Efuru is eager to resume her work as a trader. Meanwhile, Adizua, bored by his job, leaves the farm and joins Efuru in selling yams and crayfish in their town. They earn enough money to pay off Efuru’s bride price, and their two families are reconciled at last.

A year passes without Efuru becoming pregnant, and she begins to fear that she is destined to be childless. Her sadness is compounded by malicious gossip among the other villagers. Efuru and her father consult a dibia (healer) who tells her to make special sacrifices to the ancestors every week. She follows his instructions and, to the joy of her family and the whole village, becomes pregnant within a year, giving birth to a baby girl, Ogonim. Thereafter, Adizua continues trading while Efuru takes care of Ogonim, but he lacks his wife’s business acumen, so he advices Efuru to hire a maid to take care of their child and resume business. Efuru, being a wise woman, adheres the advice of her husband. So the couple hire Ogea, a young girl whose family has fallen on hard times, to look after Ogonim so Efuru can return to work. When Efuru and Adizua visit the dibia to thank him for his help, he divines trouble in the couple’s future and privately vows to counteract it. Unfortunately, he dies in his sleep before he can warn Efuru and Adizua of what lies in store for them.

Ogea is like an exchange of money by her parents, Nwosu and Nwabata who were unable to pay a serious debt that troubles them like a lion after rat:

       

 "I don't know where to begin; Nwosu said. It is very painful, Efuru, my daughter. It is very painful. I am known in our farm as a great farmer of yams. Two years ago, my yams were so big that when they were brought to the market for sale, one was priced five shillings and I refused. I was able to rebuild my house which was falling down and I paid all that I owed and even took a title. Then yams were doing very well. Then just a few weeks before harvest, the floods came. It was earlier than usual. My wife sent for me for I went to the town. I came immediately and we started harvesting. It was too late. I worked as I had never worked before. The flood rushed in and made a mockery of all my efforts. The water reached my belly. It was no use. I gave up. I saw with my eyes the destruction of my sweat and labour. There was nothing we could do but to come home. My wife had a small farm of cassava and we dug up that and sold it three Nkwos ago. We had only two pounds. When the two pounds finish, we shall starve. I went to the man who lent me the money for my farm and told him everything. He did not cause the flood, he told me, so whatever happened, I should find his money and give it to him before the next planting season. He must look after his children. He and his family cannot starve because of the flood. So he told me. Just when I was bemoaning my misfortune, these court messengers came to demand tax. I told my wife to leave them while I loaded my gun. If they did not see my blood, I would see theirs. But my wife tricked me. While I was in the innermost chamber of my house loading my gun, she locked the door and told the court messengers that I was not in. 

My daughter, Efuru, if you do this thing for us, if you take my daughter Ogea and give us ten pounds, I shall for ever be grateful to you. We shall pay you at the end of the year, either in yams or money, whichever way you choose" (p.39 / 40).

Efuru resumes trading and enjoys great professional success, but her family life suffers. Adizua starts leaving home without explanation. One day Efuru hears gossip that he has gone to the village of Ndoni with another woman, who has a bad reputation as an adulteress. Worried, Efuru seeks guidance from her mother-in-law, who sadly informs her that Adizua takes after his father, a wanderer who left his family when Adizua was five years old. Ossai reveals that she remained true to her husband in his long absence until he came home many years later to die. Despite her sufferings, Ossai advises Efuru to follow her example and remain faithful to Adizua. Efuru counters that “to suffer for a truant husband, an irresponsible husband like Adizua, is to debase suffering. My own suffering will be noble” ( p. 73). On the advice of her father, she decides to wait a while longer for Adizua to come home before she makes any permanent decisions.

Soon after, Efuru’s daughter, Ogonim, falls seriously ill and dies. A messenger is sent to retrieve Adizua, but he fails to return and Ogonim’s burial takes place without him. After mourning her child, Efuru goes in search of Adizua to discuss their marriage. Unable to locate him, she informs Adizua’s family that she can no longer be his wife. Ossai and Ajanupu sadly accept her choice, remaining her friends. The rest of the community supports Efuru’s decision and commends her virtue.

With Ogea, Efuru returns to her childhood home. She cares for her father, running his household and continuing to flourish as atrader until she meets Eneberi, another childhood acquaintance who is now called Gilbert, a name he received from Christian missionaries who baptized and educated him. Efuru and Gilbert fall in love and marry, Gilbert punctiliously observing all the necessary marriage customs before the wedding. At first, the newlyweds are blissfully happy and all their business enterprises prosper, but their contentment is ultimately marred by Efuru’s failure to conceive, which, again, elicits considerable comment from malicious village gossips.

Around this time, Efuru consults a dibia about a recurring dream, during which she dives to the bottom of the lake and meets “an elegant woman” who escorts her to her underwater domain and showers her with riches (Efuru , p.183). Efuru has discovered that every morning after she has the dream she sells all the goods she brings to the market. The dibia tells Efuru that she has been chosen to be a worshipper of Uhamiri, the goddess of the lake, who will protect and reward her with wealth and good fortune. He instructs Efuru to respect Uhamiri’s laws, observe Orie as her sacred day, and make periodic sacrifices to the goddess. On hearing of the dream, Efuru’s father informs her that her late mother was also a skilled businesswoman favored by Uhamiri. Awed and astonished, Efuru carries out the dibia’s instructions and continues to thrive as a trader. She remains barren, however, and begins to wonder if her devotion to the childless lake goddess has something to do with her infertility. Ultimately, she reasons that” (Uhamiri) cannot give me children, because she has not got children herself ( p. 208).

After four years of marriage, Gilbert grows discontented; hoping to restore his happiness, Efuru heeds the advice of his mother and suggests that he take a second wife who can bear him children. Gilbert agrees, and marries Nkoyeni Eneke, the younger sister of Gilbert’s friend, an army serviceman. Nkoyeni joins the household and becomes pregnant, but the marriage is not especially successful. The situation worsens after Gilbert reveals that he has an illegitimate son from a liaison with a girl in Ndoni. Although angered by Gilbert’s secrecy, Efuru rallies after the first shock; Nkoyeni, however, is outraged and refuses to let the illegitimate child stay with them. Like Adizua, Gilbert begins spending long periods away from home.

During one such absence, Efuru’s father dies and is mourned by the whole community. To Efuru’s rage and sorrow, Gilbert does not return for the funeral or for the birth of Nkoyeni’s son. The baby is two months old when Gilbert, looking haggard and unwell, finally returns, refusing to say where he has been. Ajanupu hears a rumor that Gilbert was in jail for three months for robbery and passes the information along to Efuru, who angrily confronts her husband. Gilbert confirms the rumor, but adds, “I went to jail, but I did not steal. I was foolish that’s all, and I paid for my foolishness” ( p. 267). Relieved that Gilbert is not a thief, Efuru stands by her husband, although other villagers, including Nkoyeni, are convinced he has done something shameful.

Hoping to alleviate the domestic strife caused by Nkoyeni’s accusations, Gilbert and Efuru choose Ogea to be his next wife. But before the marriage arrangements can be finalized, Efuru falls gravely ill. One famous dibia attributes her illness to her neglect of Uhamiri and instructs her family to perform an elaborate sacrifice of white hen’s eggs, palm oil , and unripened plantains to appease the goddess. Efuru still does not recover, however, and Omirima, the most vicious of the village gossips, spreads the rumor that Efuru’s illness is caused by her adultery. On hearing the rumor, Gilbert exhorts Efuru to confess to this sin, lest she die. Horrified by her husband’s words, Efuru sends for Ajanupu, who upbraids Gilbert for believing such gossip and reminds him of his own reprehensible behavior. Gilbert strikes Ajanupu, who retaliates by hitting him over the head with a pestle, inflicting an injury that sends him to the hospital.

Ajanupu takes Efuru to a doctor who cures her. After her recovery, Efuru assembles the members of her age group as witnesses and proclaims herself innocent of adultery before the shrine of the goddess Utuosu. Exonerated, she returns home, packs her belongings, and leaves Gilbert, a decision that shocks the community. That night Efuru, finally at peace, dreams again of the woman in the lake. The novel concludes with a probing question about the goddess Uhamiri: she “gave women beauty and wealth but she had no child. She had never experienced the joy of motherhood. Why, then, did the women worship her?” ( p. 281).

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           CHAPTER BY CHAPTER SUMMARY

Chapter One: Efuru meets a young man, Adizua who proposes marriage to her but has no money for her bride price. After both parties have proclaimed their

love for each other, they begin to live together without the payment of the customary bride price and the paraphernalia of traditional marriage celebration. On hearing that Efuru has eloped to live with her lover, her father sends some young men to go and bring her back. But after the young men have seen that Efuru is happy living with her lover, they decide to plead with her to convince her man to fulfil his traditional marriage obligations. Efuru promises them that her bride price will surely be paid soonest. After her father has tried his best to bring her back but to no avail, he gives up and considers her lost.

Meanwhile, Efuru tells her husband that she wants to trade rather than farming and the young man acquiesces to her decision. So she remains in town to trade while her husband shuttles from farm to town frequently to see her. Not quite long, Efuru is circumcised without the consent of her father. Her mother-in-law wants her to feast for at least two months after her circumcision but Efuru insists that she must start her trade as soon as possible. So, after a month she celebrates her integration into womanhood by going to the market to show herself.

Chapter Two: Adizua becomes more and more engrossed with the thought of his wife that he becomes lazy and decides to leave the farm to stay with his wife in town. He begins to trade in yams, fish and crayfish with his wife. After they have made  enough money, Efuru suggests that her husband should go to her father to pay her bride price. Two years after her marriage, Efuru becomes apprehensive that she hasn’t conceived a child, so she decides to confide her fears in her father who advises her to see a dibia (a native doctor). The dibia tells her to perform a weekly sacrifice and that the following year she will have a baby. Barely a year after her visit to the dibia, Efuru becomes pregnant and gives birth to a baby girl. A week after Efuru has had her baby, she and her husband pay a visit to the dibia who dies in his sleep a few days after their visit.

Chapter Three: As their baby continues to grow, their business continues to diminish. So, Efuru advises that they should get a maid who will look after their baby while she joins her husband to trade. Her husband consents to her decision and they bring in Ogea, a ten-year-old girl to attend to Ogonim, their daughter. As their business continues to crumble, Efuru has to consult her mother-in-law’s sister to use her shrewdness to help her collect her debts.

As they say, one cannot carry something in one’s hands and expects to climb a ladder successfully. Before Efuru and her husband had a baby, their business was booming, but now that she has a baby, her attention is given more to her baby than her business. As a wise woman, Efuru knows that for her business to spring back, she has to get a nanny who will take care of their baby and fortunately for her, her husband does not frown at her decision.

Chapter Four: Adizua is no now avoiding his wife like a plague even as he keeps late nights. Efuru is confused as she does not know what she has done to offend her husband. She confides in her mother-in-law who advises her to keep cool that all will be well. As days go by, Adizua’s indifference to his wife begins to grow. Not quite long, it becomes obvious that Adizua has eloped with another woman of easy virtue. This pricks Efuru’s heart immensely. Her mother-in-law’s sister who breaks this sad news to her advises her to keep cool that her husband will soon get tired of the strange woman and will come back to her. After she has learnt from her mother-in-law that her husband’s truancy is hereditary, Efuru pledges to leave him immediately he comes back. While Efuru is still rehearsing her plan to confront her renegade husband, Ogonim, her only child and source of hope dies after a few bouts of convulsive attacks.

Chapter Five:  After a brief lying in state for Efuru’s dead child, her little lifeless body is washed and placed in a wooden coffin and buried beyond the shore. After the burial, Efuru’s age-grade takes her to the stream for a ritual cleansing. Six months after the death of her baby, Ajanupu, her mother- in-law’s sister advises her to wait for her runaway husband for a year and if he doesn’t come back to her, she should leave him to marry another man of her choice. This seems to relieve Efuru a bit although she occasionally feels sad, especially when she remembers her plight.

Chapter Six: One week after Efuru has returned from her futile trip to look for her husband, she packs her things and leaves for her father’s house. Nobody dares to challenge her decision because it has become obvious that her renegade husband will never return. Everyone that comes to greet and console her encourages her that she will soon remarry. Despite her predicament, Efuru still has a heart for sympathy and human kindness as she introduces a medical doctor to Ogea’s father who operates his appendicitis and makes him feel young again. She does not only foot his bills but also feed him throughout his stay in the hospital. She also makes sure that she feeds every child that visits her home.

Chapter Seven: After a few visits to Efuru by Gilbert, a member of her age-group, he proposes marriage to her. He tells her not to rush in giving her reply but to think about it and reply him in four days’ time. Although she has purposed in her heart to marry Gilbert, Efuru decides to confide with Ajanupu, her mentor before she gives Gilbert her consent. Four days after Gilbert goes back to get a reply from her and she tells him that she is ready to marry him because she likes him.

Chapter Eight: Efuru does not allow the excitement of her new relationship to stop her from being kind to people as usual. She introduces another woman to the doctor to be treated of her chronic foot disease.Two months after, the woman returns from the hospital in Onicha fresh and healthy and everybody including the woman’s children comes to shower praises and appreciation to Efuru who has given their mother a new lease of life. After a brief preparation, Gilbert visits Efuru’s father and fulfils his marriage obligation which makes Efuru his wife. After the customary preparation, Efuru goes to live with her new husband. Efuru and her husband make a happy couple to the admiration and gossip of everybody in the village. Two years after their marriage without any sign of pregnancy, Efuru agrees with her husband to see a doctor.

Chapter Nine: After Efuru and her husband have visited the doctor in Onitsha for treatment for her childlessness, she visits her father to confide in him about terrible dreams she has had of recent. Her father decides to consult a dibia on her behalf. After his divination, the dibia tells Efuru that she has been chosen one of the worshippers by Uhamiri, the most powerful goddess in town. She tells her the dos and don’ts of the goddess before he leaves.

Chapter Ten: When Efuru learns about the sickness of her former mother-in-law, she visits her and helps her to feel better. With the company of Ajanupu, she consults a dibia who prescribes a sacrifice for the sick woman to perform and immediately she does that, she becomes well. Ajanupu suggests that Efuru tell her husband to marry another wife who will give him a child since she is childless. Efuru feels bad about the pressure for her husband to get another wife because she now considers herself barren. But she finds solace in the fact that she had had a baby before which means that she is not barren after all.

Chapter Eleven: Nwosu is now at loggerheads with his wife because of his indebtedness to Efuru. After he has used the money he supposed to pay Efuru to take a title, Nwosu is now in penury. He finds it difficult to feed his family let alone buy new yam seedlings for the next planting season. His wife blames him for his thoughtlessness. Despite the fact that they have not been able to pay their debts, the couple still have the effrontery to go back to their creditor, Efuru to request for another loan. Surprisingly, Efuru promises them another ten pounds. No sooner Nwosu and his wife had gone than Nnona, the woman whom Efuru had helped to heal her sore, comes in seeking financial help. Again, Efuru gives her sixteen shillings—a shilling more than the amount she claimed she had lost to thieves.

As the chapter ends, Efuru finally summons courage to tell her husband that she wants to marry another wife for him so that he can have children. After a little protestation, Gilbert agrees to have another wife.

Again, Efuru’s extraordinary benevolent life is x-rayed in this chapter. Although Nwosu is indebted to her, she still promises to give him another loan and she also gives sixteen shillings to Nnona who has been robbed. Arguably, Nwosu does not deserve another loan. Not because he has not repaid the first loan, but because of what he invested the loan in—chieftaincy title. This is one of the examples of financial recklessness which has made many families in the continent impoverished. Most low income families in Africa would use their hard-earned money or loan to organise a party and after that they would going begging to survive. This is why many financial institutions will want to investigate the project to be invested in before giving loan to an individual. Nwosu would not go to the bank to get a loan because he knows that no bank will loan himnmoney to take a title.

The chapter ends with Efuru’s proposal to marry another wife who will bear children for her husband. Ironically, no one wants to probe the fertility of Gilbert, not even Efuru. Just as Akon sang in his popular hit, all she says is, “You can put the blame on me.” However, she does not know that no matter what she does to make Gilbert happy, he will still leave her. Efuru’s situation is the lot of many women not only in Africa but all over the world. Sometimes women are those who want to do all they can to keep the marriage just the way Efuru does here. Do they always succeed? Well, it is better told than experienced.

Chapter Twelve: Two weeks after Efuru has lent Ogea’s parents another loan, she hears that they have been robbed by thieves. She and Ajanupu visit the family to commiserate with them. Fortunately, the money was not stolen and they give Efuru the money to keep for them. Efuru begins to search for another wife for her husband but her mother-in-law does not seem to approve most of her choices.

True to her nature, while Efuru is still looking for the solution to her problem—childlessness, she still stoops to lend a helping hand to other people in need. Apart from being a lender to many she has also become a banker to Ogea’s parents who entrust her with their money to keep for them. Arguably, if Efuru is not an honest woman, they will not put their money in her care.

Chapter Thirteen: Gilbert visits Sunday, his childhood friend, who is now an ex-service man. They talk about issues which affected them while they were in school and their present conditions. Gilbert tells his friend about a son he has had at Ndoni with the knowledge of neither his wife nor his mother. Gilbert also takes a particular interest in Nkoyeni, Sunday’s youngest sister who is now a grown up girl.

Chapter Fourteen: Gilbert takes Nkoyeni as a wife who will give him children since Efuru cannot conceive. True to her character, Efuru does not have any quarrel with her rival wife. Instead, she loves her as a sister. Her relationship with her rival wife seems to baffle everybody including the gossip Omirima, her mother-in-law’s friend. After Gilbert’s son has visited the family with his uncle, it is now obvious that he has had a son outside marriage,

Nkoyeni threatens to leave if the boy remains with his father; but Efuru is particularly delighted to see her husband’s son. In order to.let peace reign in his house, Gilbert has to send the poor boy back to his mother.

Chapter Fifteen: Nwashike Ogene, Efuru’s father is now dead after a protracted illness. Efuru is terribly sad because she has lost someone who was not only so dear to her but also an acquaintance to confide in whenever she had a problem. Because of the death of Efuru’s father, Nwosu and his friend who are fishing in the high sea faraway from town have to hurry back home. Many gun salutes are also fired in honour of the departed soul.

Admittedly, Efuru is a woman of many sorrows. Not quite long after she has lost her only child, her father, the only close confidant she has had, is now gone. Unknown to her, more troubles are still coming as Gilbert will soon betray her. Even as the burial obsequies are going on, he is not around to help Efuru as he has gone for trade. As I said earlier, Efuru’s situation is better told than experienced.

Chapter Sixteen: Many people are now coming to console Efuru who is very sad not only because she lost her dad but also because Gilbert, her husband who has gone for trade did not participate in the burial of her father. While she is still mourning her father, Nkoyeni, her rival wife gives birth to a bouncing baby boy. Two months after the death of Efuru’s father, Gilbert comes home to the great consternation of his wives who did not expect him to look sick and haggard. Not quite long, it is learnt that he was jailed for three months while in Onicha. In order to create competition and curb Nkoyeni’s excesses, Efuru contacts Ogea’s parents in order to inform them that she wants to marry their daughter to Gilbert. But before the arrangement for the marriage finishes, Efuru takes ill. Efuru’s cause of illness suddenly becomes controversial such that it almost claims the life of her husband who is forced to believe that Efuru is guilty of adultery.

Chapter Seventeen: With the help of Ajanupu, Efuru is taken to a hospital in Aba where she is cured of her illness. Immediately she comes back from the hospital, she packs away her things from Gilbert’s house thus ending her second marriage.

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                     CHARACTERS

First of all, characters are the imaginary people a writer create in his work. It is the duty of the writer to make his characters look real through assigning of roles and this will create a credibility in the work. There are two major types of characters namely: the major and the minor characters. The major could also be referred as round or complex character or characters that develop fully in a work of art. While the minor could also be referred as flat or simple characters or characters that don't fully exist in a work of art. They maybe appear one side in the play and remain the same till the work is over. Then their roles are not that recognized.

( 1 ) Efuru: Efuru is the central character as everything in the novel revolves around her. She came from a very wealthy family. She is a daughter of a noble man called Nwashike Ogene, a prominent man in his community. She lost her mother at a very tender age and since then she has been her father's favourite. Efuru is described in the novel as an independent woman. She is strong and beautiful. She falls in love with a poor farmer named Adizua who unable to pay dowry and then convinces her to elope with him which made her father very upset. Efuru is a business minded woman who through her trade business helps her husband to pay her bride price that he was unable to pay. She is known to everyone around her as a charitable woman who carries the responsibilities of others by helping them. After having everything in life Efuru still do not have the most productive life. She becomes ill fated by not having a successful marriage. Her two marriages failed after being betrayal by her both first and second husband. The first husband, Adizua abandons her to live with another woman in a far village, while she ends her second marriage as a result of lack of trust by her husband, Gilbert who with naive mind supported her enemies to accuse her of committing an adultery crime. Efuru is also ill fated by not carrying her own children. Though she had a baby with her first husband but unfortunately she lost the child and since then she became barren. She becomes a worshiper of lake goddess called Uhamiri. By being referred to as an independent woman, she live and succeed without a help from any man. While gotten to the end of the story, she left her husband and live in her late father's house.

( 2 ) Adizua: Adizua is a poor farmer and only surviving son of Ossai. He is Efuru's first love  who convinces her to elope with him when he unaby to pay her dowry as a fulfilment of the tradition. Adizua is considered by his peers as imbecile. Like his wife, Efuru, Adizua had lost his father at very tender age. He had a daughter with Efuru after struggle for four years of looking for a child. Perhaps his peers are right in calling him a fool. He becomes like his late father who abandons his mother for another woman and contacted a miserable disease and died by abandoning his own wife and daughter to live another woman in a far village. Eventually, the child died but he fails to return back home to bury his daughter and consoles the helpless mother. Rumour had it that he marries a miserable woman in Ndoni village. When Efuru could not wait for him any longer after going to places to look for him but fails to find him, she had no other option than to return back to her father who happily received her back home.

( 3 ) Nwashike Ogene: Nwashike is Efuru's lovely father. He is a well respected, prominent and noble man in his community. He loves Efuru so much. He is known as a fiery man but have compassion for other people. He was upset by Efuru when she disobeys the tradition by illegally marrying the unknown poor farmer, Adizua, but he ends up swallowing his anger. He is a man that doesn't like to interfere with other people's happiness, that's why he becomes lenient with Efuru by priotizing her happiness.  He is not a foolish man who makes a day's plan and execute it. He plans well before execution. Efuru is fond of him because of the fathers love and support she gets from him. He helps her to build a happy home. He gives her a wise advice when she faces hard times in both her first and second marriage. But becomes ill and dies which makes Efuru so downcast because of being her backbone when he was alive.

( 4 ) Ossai: Ossai is the mother of Adizua and first mother-in-law of Efuru. She is a peaceful and understanding woman. She was abandoned by Adizua's father who later contacted a deadly disease and died. But since after her first marriage, she refused to get married to another man. So throughout the novel she is seen as a single mother. Unlike her sister, Ajanupu, she is quite reserved. Her taciturn character is perhaps due to her sorrowful life. She is fond of Efuru. Even when it was needed to take action over Efuru when she didn't bear children for her son, Adizua, still she was encouraging her to be patient and shows less concern of her not getting pregnant until Efuru finally conceived. Ossai did not disconnect her relationship with Efuru even after she has left her son. When she falls ill, she received an help from Efuru who took her to the hospital and treats her to regain her strength.

( 5 ) Gilbert (Eneberi): Gilbert is an educated man and an entrepreneurial like Efuru. He is Efuru’s second husband and her childhood friend and a member of her age-group. He is the son of Amede. By pagan, he was named Eneberi, a name which he changed after adopting the christian religion through baptism. His first relationship crashed before he finally meets Efuru. His family, especially the mother, Amede strongly opposes his associate with the first girl he wants to marry due to family issues. Coincidentally, he meets Efuru while she is in difficult time in her first marriage. Efuru agrees to marry him because he is responsible than Adizua, her first husband who could not pay her dowry except through her own struggles.  Gilbert is bearish and intolerant. He does not trust his wife and for this reason, he accuses her of committing adultery. Efuru finally left him because of this is ill-natured character.

( 6 ) Nwosu: Nwosu is a poor farmer. He is the husband of Nwabata and Ogea's father. Like his wife, he is illiterate and his only means of livelihood is the farm. He is a very hard working farmer. Because of overwork, he develops appendicitis which threatens his life but later got help from Efuru who took him to the hospital to operate it. Because of his acute poverty, he has to pawn one of his children, Ogea to Efuru in order to get money to settle a serious debt that was after his family's life like death. Apart from being poor and sometimes finds it difficult to feed his family, Nwosu is no doubt a good husband. Unlike many men who beat their wives, he has never laid hand on his wife even when such an action would have been justified in their community. He helps Efuru in the burial of her father.

( 7 ) Ogea: Ogea is the young beautiful maid of Efuru. She was just twelve years when she was  pawn for money by her parents. She is the daughter of Nwosu and Nwabata and Efuru's adopted daughter. She could not cope when she was newly brought to Efuru. She gives Efuru a little tough time before she finally builds a family relationship with her. She is not only docile but also intelligent and sympathetic. These both virtues are revealed when Efuru’s only daughter, Ogonim dies. She is fond of her mistress and calls her mother. When Efuru sees that she has become of age, she proposes a plan to marry to her husband, Gilbert to give peace for her home. But Efuru falls ills while preparing for Ogea's marriage to Gilbert.  

( 8 ) Nwabata:  Nwabata is a very strong woman character. She is Ogea's mother. She is a mother of six and a hardworking woman, and then very helpful to her husband. Nwabata is an illiterate farmer whose only sustenance is on her farm produce. Because of her ignorance, she weeps when she learns that her husband is going to be operated upon. She believes that her husband is going to be killed before the operation is conducted. Although she could be nagging sometimes, she respects her husband and loves him, especially when they first married. Because of her love for her husband then, she didn’t take it kindly with his brother who opposed her marriage to Nwosu. Each time her brother beat her husband and tore his clothes, she made sure that she bought another one for him. Like Efuru who becomes a victim of one-sided love, Nwabata no doubt loves her husband more than he loves her. It is her genuine love for him that made her marry him in the first place and continue to endure hardship.

( 9 ) Dr. Difu: Dr. Defu is Efuru's good friend and confidant. He helps both in her marriage and saving the lives of many sick people for her. He is a medical doctor from Onitsha. He  is sympathetic and has a soft spot for Efuru. His likeness for Efuru becomes obvious when he buys an expensive piece of cloth for her. He also enquires of her personal life and welfare and listens passionately to her conversation. There is no doubt that Difu is what Efuru’s both husbands are not. He is a successful married man and provides a good life for his family in outside country.

( 10 ) Ajanupu: Ajanupu is the older sister of Efuru’s mother-in-law, Ossai. She is a mother of eight children, and she is very good to her sister and always at her back and call whenever she needs her help. As an experienced old woman, she is sensitive and observant. Little wonder that she is the first to notice Efuru’s pregnancy. She is no doubt well vested in the traditions of her people as she occasionally tells the young woman the dos and the don’ts of their tradition. Although she talks too much, she is a good woman. She teaches Efuru a lot about life, her society and relationships. She is no doubt Efuru’s good friend. She confronts Gilbert when he foolishly turns his back at Efuru while facing   trials of committing adultery. She is a strong woman who act like a man. She hate to be oppressed and also others. When Efuru could not gets her debts from her debtors, she helps her to terrorize them and get Efuru her debts.  She is the reason Efuru did not die. She takes her to the hospital where she recovered from her illness.

( 11 ) Nkoyemi: Nkoyeni is Efuru’s rival wife. Since women’s education is not as valued as that of the men, she has to leave school and get married at the age of nineteen. Unlike Efuru, she is not so free with people. Perhaps her childish character could be attributed to her age. She is much younger than her husband. When Gilbert used to call her his wife when she was quite young, little wonder did she know that one day it will come true. She becomes a second wife to Gilbert when Efuru couldn't have children for him, and it is through the advice of Efuru that she gets married to Gilbert and immediately produces a child for him. She is not understandable like Efuru. At first, she did not allow Gilbert's son who was born with another woman from a far village to stay with them. Also, she troubles Efuru and Gilbert over the incident that happens to him (Gilbert). Because of this, Efuru had to make a further plan to marry their husband, Gilbert a third wife (p. 214).

( 12 ) Amede: Amede is Gilbert’s mother and Efuru’s new mother-in-law. Like Efuru’s former mother-in-law, she is not a talking type but a quiet and reserved thoughtful woman although not much is heard from her in the novel.

(13 ) Omirima: Omirima is Efuru’s new mother-in-law’s friend who advises Gilbert’s mother to marry another wife who will bear children for him since Efuru is now worshiping the lake goddess which forbids her to get children. She is no doubt a gossip but a custodian of the tradition—she wants Gilbert to get another wife for the sake of procreation. Upon all the troubles that happened in Gilbert's family, Omirima is the one responsible for them. Despite after given troubles to Efuru for her unable to produce a child, she still uses dibias to accuse Efuru for committing adultery.

( 14 ) Ogenim: Ogonim is Efuru's only daughter with Adizua who was born in a far time of waiting. She brings hope for Efuru by proving wrong the believe of people that she is barren. Ogenim did not stay till the end of her life on earth, but dies while stay a young child.

                        THEMES

Theme is the subject matter of a work of art. It can be seen as an underlying message whicy the writer want to pass across. The themes of the novel, Efuru are:

( 1 ) Theme of Feminism:  The word feminism is said to be one of the contemporary theme in African literature. It is the advocativity for the right of the women in the male domination in the society or the act of advocating for gender inequality. The growth of feminism began when the women felt that they have been subjected or oppressed. The protagonist in Efuru shows that women can have their own mind and that without necessarily depending on a man, be useful to themselves, their families and the society at large. As the novel progresses, we could see that women seem more and more liberated and happy with choices they make even though the community may not be completely satisfied.The women also recognize that happiness comes from within. The search of female characters for self-healing and happiness in a world in which they encounter and overcome innumerable traditional, cultural, political, and emotional roadblocks continue in the novels. The protagonist, Efuru possess individual thoughts and choices. She displays individual choices. Her development occurs both in physical as well as psychological spheres where she looks for self-actualization. She does not try to be under other’s will. This is evident from the beginning of the novel. She chooses husband of her own choices. 

 The portrayal of Efuru as a woman who defied patriarchy – and example of which was her act of marrying the man she loved without waiting for the consent of her father as demands by the tradition, or how she managed to strive for leadership in her community, qualifies her as a modern day feminist. We see from her character that she is a strong and independent woman who always believe that she can survive without a support of any man. Efuru shows this when establishes herself into trade and declines when her husband wants her to join him in the farm. She succeeds in her trade business and still fixed her husband to become a valuable man. It is a clear evidence that Efuru is already compares as a man who live on her way. She didn't become stranded when her both first and second marriage failed.

Also, almost all the female characters posses the attribute of a feminist. For instance, we have a character like Ossai who wishes not to marry again after her first marriage failed. Since then she has been a single mother and an independent woman who does wants to be subdue by any man. And also we have another strong character like Nwabata who defied patriarchy-and example of when she was opposed by her people from marrying Nwosu, a man whom she loves to marry. Even in her home as an happily married woman, she refuses to be subdued by her husband. Nwabata shows that man has no strength than a woman because both of them have equal. 

Theme of Motherhood and Fertility: One of the significant theme of the novel is that of motherhood and fertility. The people in Efuru’s village place a great emphasis on having children, especially sons, as they are seen as a symbol of wealth and status. However, Efuru struggles with infertility throughout the book, which brings about feelings of shame and inadequacy. This is a clear evidence that in our African society a woman without her womb being productive does not deserve the gift of joy of motherhood. Efuru had a serious trouble from people for her first unable to produce a child.

( 2 ) Theme of Love: Love could be seen as a deep feeling for one another beyond sensuality. The power of love cannot be overemphasized. It transcends challenges. Love knows no conformity. It intoxicates and makes the victims unconscious of the norms in society. This is the reason why Efuru and her first husband, Adizua, marry illegitimately without Adizua paying a dime, not even “a cowrie on her head.” Efuru, who is from a wealthy and renowned family, reduces her laurel by marrying an unknown poor man who struggles to even pay her dowry. Efuru does not see this as a bad thing, and she is unconscious of her husband’s trespasses until they leave each other and she begins recounting her misdeed.

Gilbert too is blinded by love to see exactly what his people are seeing: that an unproductive marriage is a mere play and that such a man is likened to a snake who slithers across the rock with zero footprints. He does not think relationships have to exist primarily for birth business, as is the stereotypical belief of his people. 

Even after he marries two other women, Nkoyeni and Ogea, who later give birth to children, it is still obvious he loves Efuru more than the duo. However, his marriage to Nkoyeni and Ogea is driven by societal pressure. When Gilbert refuses to come home for more than two months at the Great River, he refuses to explain the reason behind it to Nkoyeni, even when it is obvious that she deserves an explanation. He only explains to Efuru and apologizes, but scolds Nkoyeni, who has a child for him. Nwabata and Nwosu’s relationship is also strengthened by the power of love, even at the highest provocation of poverty. It does not take a second to settle whatever dispute they have because there is love. When Nwosu goes for a title instead of repaying his debt to Efuru, Nwabata scolds him and promises she would never gowith him to borrow money anymore from Efuru. But they are both seen at Efuru’s house the second day begging for more money.

Nwashike Ogene cannot take Efuru’s love for granted. When it is believed that she has committed the greatest sin and he is expected to disown his daughter, Nwashike refuses and establishes a fact: that love transcends war.

( 3 ) Theme of Obstinacy: Another which could be used to replace obstinacy is stubbornness. Obstinacy is the quality of being unreasonably determined, especially to act in a particular way and not to change at all, despite what anyone else says. The applicable of this is seen in Flora Nwapa’s Efuru. Virtually all the main female characters suffer for their intractability, refusing to be guided by their parents and family. However, Ossai marries a father that everyone forbids and suffers the consequences afterwards. Her sister Ajanupu reminds her of her stubbornness and scolds her afterwards for the upshot, which is miserableness. Ossai also agrees that if she did not marry Adizua’s father, she would not be facing these challenges.

Also, Nwabata’s destitution began when she married a poor peasant, Nwosu, whose marriage to her was never supported by her family. She subsequently regrets her action, even though she still loves Nwosu. Then Efuru, too, is driven by her personal desires. She does not care about her father’s or her family’s advice. She runs away with a man, Adizua, refusing to adhere to her family’s advice. The consequences of her action are not quickly revealed because she is loved passionately by both her husband and her mother-in-law, but when Adizua deserts her, she begins thinking of how she refused what her father was initially telling her. 

Finally, the misfortunes of some of the characters in this story could have been averted if they had adhered to the advice given to them. But their obstinate attitudes push them to the point where the saying “had I known” becomes relevant.

( 4 ) Theme of Cultural Conflict: There are two conflicting cultures in this story: Western and African cultures. The intrusion of imperialism into Africa in the 19th century tried to erase some of the African cultures and replace them with Western culture.  A living example of cultural erasure and replacement is Gilbert, who was originally named Eneberi but later got influenced by the western educational system. Another one is the home-made gin that is being despised by the Europeans. They prefer the western alcohol to the home-made gin and arrest anyone caught with this drink. Most Africans are more comfortable with the modern western civilization, while some are not cool with it at all.

Efuru, for example, does not trust any dibia aside from the dead one who made her child’s birth possible. She subsequently relies on modern medical treatment. She even refers people to her doctor, Dr. Uzaru. When Nwosu is ill and Efuru refers him to her doctor, and the solution calls for a surgical operation, his wife, Nwabata, forgoes it because she feels a surgical operation is deadly. Nwosu later goes for the operation and becomes healthy afterwards. This makes the people trust the western way more than their traditional method of treatment.

Although no culture can survive on its own, Culture and imperialism are two indispensable things in the face of modernization. The former thrived on hybridity, while the latter inspired it. Years before this story, the people of Nwashike Ogene had contact with the white people and exchanged their people (black slaves) for cannons, hot drinks, and cheap ornaments. However cruel the exchange might be with human trafficking, the beneficiaries of the trade were both parties. The people now use cannons to send information far and wide, and they are also very good war equipment.

It is the cannon that they use to send information to the people at the Great River that an important personality is gone, following the dream of Nwosu. And when Efuru’s illness gets to the point of no return and many dibias cannot successfully treat her, it is the modern medical treatment that cures her in Onicha. The whites use boats, while the Africans use canoes. The former sees canoes as primitive, and the latter sees the whites as fools because the boats make noise with the engine. The people have restricted their mentality to the belief that anyone who refuses to observe the rules of the woman of the lake will not catch any fish, but if it were actually true, the whites would have gone back to their countries. Today, the boats are embraced by both cultures.

( 5 ) Theme of a Failed Marriage: The failure of marriage is not a thing that is rampant in the African setting. The wife must be exceptionally patient to endure all sorts of offensive acts before she can be regarded as an African woman. As a matter of fact, virility is extensively associated with femininity in an African setting.

African women are fundamentally “womanists.” By extension, they are tolerant of what western feminists consider to be androcentric, such as marriage, submissiveness, sensuality, etc. However, African women are extensively vocal, and their voices are always very important. This means that the women have the choice to either stay in a marriage or not. Buchi Emecheta, in her book, Feminism With a Small “f”, says,

"I have no sympathy for a woman who deserts her.children, neither do I have any sympathy for a woman who insists on staying in a marriage with a brute man simply to be respected. Feminism with Small “f”

In essence, the woman has a choice. Flora Nwapa does not see African women as intrinsically monogamous. She uses Efuru to project her voice. Efuru is seen speculating about what could make Adizua marry a wife outside and refuses to bring her home when she is not a bad woman. It implies that “it is only a bad wife that wants her husband to herself only.”

The failure of Efuru to bear a child is the reason why she decides to leave her marriage to marry Gilbert. And maybe if Adizua had stayed, it would have been unlikely for Efuru to leave. Having married Gilbert, her problem still persists, and yet she is not willing to leave the marriage until it is crystal clear that there is now a resentment against her fate.

Efuru represents the older generation of African women. The older generation would not leave their marriage no matter what, except if what happens to Efuru befalls their rafters. Efuru is unlike Nkoyeni, who represents the new generation and, by extension, those affected by the fallout of western influence. Nkoyeni threatens her husband that she is going to leave him when his out-of-wedlock son is brought back home, and she does that subsequently when Gilbert refuses to open up on why he was in the Great River for like two months. Divorce is not a barrier for Nkoyeni. It is only Efuru that thinks and rethinks about her decision.

In conclusion, a failed marriage is something a pure African woman is afraid of but fatefully involves in if she is left with no option. Failure in marriage makes the woman go mentally delirious. She is not going to be respected by society, and she is going to be neglected afterwards. Marriage is an intrusive part of a woman’s life. Societal pressure and lots more are exactly what bound the woman in a marriage, even with a brutish man.

( 6 ) Theme of Risk-taking: Risk-taking means taking actions which might have unpleasant or undesirable. It is also the act or fact of doing something that involves danger or risk in order to achieve a goal. This theme could be examined by focusing on the actions of the protagonist, Efuru. First, Efuru takes a bold risk by agreeing to elope with Adizua who could not pay her dowry. The consequence behind this action is that it may lead to Efuru being disowned by her family, especially her father because the tradition forbids such action and it will be a shame to her people. Also, Efuru takes another serious risk in her business. According to her that the place "Great River" where they journey pass to get their goods, the crayfish, is a three days journey and it is a place that w surrounded by thieves. She thinks of being waylay since it is possible, but still takes the risk to continue with her trade without considering the danger.

Theme of Barrenness: In a simple meaning, barrenness is the inability to produce children. Childlessness has major emotional and social implications for affected persons, especially in settings where fertility is highly valued. Childlessness is a terrible situation in most African matrimonial homes because of the social importance places on procreation in the African worldview. Flora Nwapa, in exploring the experiences of the Nigerian woman reflects this theme. The novel, Efuru portrays this occurrence as Efuru, the leading character struggles with infertility. She is not too worries about her childlessness since she is the the person in position to give children. It was a bad experience for her because the society will give her no value if she continues being barren. Luckily, she gets pregnant. She feels ecstatic on that news. After obeying the instructions, she and Adizua have a baby girl. Still not believing that her social stigma as a barren woman is finally over, exclaims, “Is it really true that I have heard a baby that I am a woman after all?” (p. 31). 

Although Efuru blessed with a baby girl, her baby is in a quiet and unobtrusive manner. Adizua named his daughter as Ogonim. Ogonim acts like any normal child for two years, she plays with her babysitter, Ogea and other children. But Efuru’s happiness does not sustain longer time. Ogonim soon died of her ill health. Again she starts facing childlessness mourning. Besides her childless agony, the waywardness of the husband, irresponsibility, she failed to keep the marital bond with Adizua. On this aspect Nwapa depicts,”At this time Adizua was missing many meals. He would return from the market, have his bath and disappear. Efuru would wait for him and when he did not return, she would go to bed very sad. At midnight, Adizua would come back and knock; Efuru would get up quickly and open the door. ‘Have you returned my husband?” (p. 50). 

It is evident that the failure of her first marriage could be cause by her unable to produce more children after losing the first child. This same thing affects Efuru in her second marriage. She suffers pressures from people who believe that her womb is unproductive. It is through this pressure that she had to marry her second husband, Gilbert second wife.

Theme of Prophecy:  Prophecy is a prediction of what will happen in the future. In the novel, a prophecy is made. This happens when Efuru and her came to the dibia to seek solution for her delay in getting pregnant. Then the dibia predicted that Efuru will gets pregnant immediately after the Owu festival and this prediction comes to reality as she finally conceived as exactly said by the dibia (p. 27).

Theme of Death: Death is the permanent cessation of all vital functions, including heartbeat and breathing. Death also marks the end of life. In Efuru, death contributed to the tragedy of the novel. First, we had the tragic experience of Efuru who lost her only child in the cold hands of death. Ogenim was the only source of hope for Efuru but unfortunately could not stay with her. Another case of death in the novel is the mysterious death of the dibia. The dibia died in his sleep which hangs Efuru's fate in suspense. He saw a sign of what will happen to Efuru and wants to reveal it to her but he unable to meet up with the task while he was visited by death mysteriously. The death of Efuru's father, Nwashike Ogene, is another contribution of tragedy. Efuru's father was only person that could understand her feelings and always provides solutions for most of her problems. First when she was looking for a child, he invented the idea of visiting the dibia who provides solution for her problem of not having a child. He was like her last hope because when her first marriage failed, she feels less depressed since there is home to abode her. But Efuru end up losing him also in the cold hands of death.

Theme of Fate: Fate is the development of events outside a person's control, regarded as predetermined by a supernatural power. In a simple meaning, fate is something that unavoidably befalls a person. Efuru suffers as a result of her fate. Despite her struggle to fulfill the needs of life by having a good home, but she failed. First, she wishes to be a happy mother by having children which she could not achieve. Also, her urge to have a good stay in her both first and second marriage failed as a result of her fate. She accepts that whatever thing that happens to her is a will of the gods: 

      "I remained for seven Nkwos and now I am absolved. Utuosu did not kill me. I am still alive. That means that I am not an adulterous woman. So here I am. I have ended where I began-in my father's house. The difference is that now my father is dead. But I have nothing to say to Eneberi. He will for ever regret his act. It is will of our gods and chi that such a misfortune should befall me" (p. 220).

Theme of Trade: In a simple meaning, trade is the act of buying and selling goods and services. In the novel, Efuru, the leading character is seen as a business acumen. Throughout the novel and despite her ordeals, she is portrayed as not only enterprising but also generous in sharing the profits of her business with those around her. Because of her astute enterprising nature, she is able to raise money within a short time to help her renegade husband pay her bride price. After that, she continues to build her business empire which later employs her husband and makes him leave his farming business which is nothing to write home about.

Theme of Sacrifice: The word sacrifice is an act of giving up something valued for the sake of something else regarded as more important or worthy. Throughout Efuru, sacrifice is the thread that weaves Efuru as a novel. Before one receives a solution to one’s problem(s), some sacrifice must be performed. For example, Efuru has to perform some sacrifice before she could have a baby: "You are children. You cannot understand. You will not understand. You will not understand. Nwashike, this is what your daughter will do every Ago day. She is to sacrifice to the ancestors. It is not much, but she will have to do it regularly. Every Ago day, she is to buy uziza, alligator pepper, and kola from the market. Uziza must be bought every Nkwo day from a pregnant woman" (p. 25. Again, When Efuru learns about the sickness of her former mother-in-law, she visits her and helps her to feel better. With the company of Ajanupu, she consults a dibia who prescribes a sacrifice for the sick woman to perform and immediately she does that, she becomes well. Apart from these two instances of physical acts of sacrifice, there are other forms of sacrifice that can be seen almost all over the novel. Efuru is seen sacrificing all she has to make her two marriages work and when they fail to work, she has to sacrifice her life to serve the Uhamiri, the Goddess of the Lake.

Theme of Superstition: Superstition is a belief or way of behaving that is based on fear of the unknown and faith in magic or luck. It could simply explain as a belief that certain events or things will bring good or bad luck. There are many instances of superstition in the novel, Efuru. The tragedy in the life of Efuru is beyond redemption. The mystery of the goddess coupled with failed marriages are interrelated. Agundu, the dibia, who is the seer and fixer of human tragedies in nature seems helpless when Efuru and Adizua visited him:

" Something will go wrong. I can prevent it.

 But I must be given time. I have seen it,

 but not clearly yet. Our fathers will help

 me ... I shall ask their aid ..., a day to the

 appointed day, Efuru heard that the dibia

 was dead. He died in his sleep" (p. 35).

The gods play prominent roles in the life of every man (woman inclusive) in Africa.

This is mostly based on superstitions. It is believed that Adizua eloped with another woman because it runs in his blood. His father did the same thing to Efuru‟s mother-in-law. The dibia died in his sleep because he wanted to challenge the supremacy of the goddess of the lake. Certain night-birds are ominous as expressed by Efuru in a dialogue with Gilbert:

 I am turning back. Let day break...

 I know the moon is shining. There are

 witches on that tree. You can hear the

 owls now. They are no owls, they are

 witches ( p. 118).

The psychological devastation caused Efuru through desertion and abandonment by her two husbands, Adizua and Gilbert, raises the question of what could be responsible for such calamity. This brings to light the role of the supernatural and superstition. In Elechi Amadi‟s Concubines, each of the prospective suitors dies in mysterious circumstances for daring Ihuoma‟s spiritual husband, the water god, by proposing to her. Similar incidents also unfold in the love-life of Efuru with one fatality, the dibia, who attempts placating the goddess. Efuru‟s lots is desertion, abandonment and denial of child-bearing.

Again the circumcision of women which is called "bath" is connected to superstition. It is belief that is dangerous for a woman to get pregnant without being circumcised. The baby will die if the woman gets pregnant before or without having the bath. Through the flashback of the old woman, Omeifeaka, who tells Efuru and her mother-in-law about the danger of the bath, it is evident that there is supernatural force behind this. For example, it is told through the flashback that Nwakaego's daughter lost her baby because of not undergoing the circumcision ritual. Then another case of superstition is the belief that a pregnant woman must not go out alone at night except someone must accompany her (p. 29). Also, there is another supernatural belief that it is forbidden to sweep out dirt at night. In doing that it means you are sweeping out the wealth in the house (p. 212).

Theme of Poverty: Poverty is the inability of not having enough money to meet basic needs including food, clothing and shelter. The theme of poverty has its major focus on the character of Nwosu and his wife, Nwabata. Although poverty can be noticed in every part of the novel, but the writer develops this theme more through the Nwosu's family. For example, Nwosu is a low income earner who is hardworking but could not meet up. After his failure e meet up with things, he had to use his daughter, Ogea as an exchange to get money from Efuru. Although he contributed to his poverty. When getting little more and instead of investing it to bring a profitable income, he went and throw a party and buys chieftaincy title.

Theme of False Allegation: False allegations are statements that are unproven and untrue in the spirit of deliberateness or deceit. One of the bad experiences of Efuru is the false allegation given to her. She was preparing for the new marriage of her husband, Gilbert but mysteriously falls ill. While on the sick bed, she gets accused of committing adultery and that's the reason of her illness. Because she knows very well that she is innocent, she had to summon her age group women and takes an oath in the strine but nothing happens to her. She eventually recoverd after Ajanupu takes her to the hospital for treatment at Onicha. Is on her return that she calls her second marriage a day.

Theme of Lack of Trust: In a simple meaning, lack of trust is a feeling that someone or something is not honest and cannot be trusted. However, Gilbert betrayed Efuru by not trusting her when she was accused of committing adultery. Efuru stood by him during his time of facing trials. He was said to be detained and this was the belief of the entire community including his second wife, but Efuru did behave like other people. She trusted him that he can never committe a crime of stealing. But when it is her oi time for him to defend her, he blindly follows the false allegation and personally accused her. Though he did not directly say that she commits the crime, but his action showcases the act (p. 216).

Theme of Tradition: Tradition is a belief or behavior passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. However, most often local belief systems in Africa have little or no place for the woman participation in communal development. For example in some cases the woman is literally an unspeaking subject in matters affecting her choice of husband. Any attempt by a woman to act in defiance to this position is considered an aberration and an attempt to usurp the exclusive authority of the man. To further put the woman in position of gender inequality, the man weaves such superstitious components around ‘tradition’ and ‘cultures’ as to perpetually exercise certain authority over her without a protest. The novel, Efuru gives an insight into the plights of women in a society where men are the domineering force in the face of feminine revolutionary awareness and not as objects of pleasure to a man

                LITERARY TECHNIQUES

( 1 ) The Use of Proverbs: Proverbs are one of the genres of folklore handed down from generation to generation. They are one of the most commonly used, respected and highly valued element of folklore because they reflects the culture, worldview and perception of life of a homogeneous set of people. According to Chinua Achebe, that proverbs are palm oil with which the words are eaten. Proverbs are brief statements full of hidden meaning and which expresses wisdom and truth. They are also said to be a short popular saying of unknown authorship, expressing some general truth or superstition. Proverbs are the major forms of oral arts. They are used by elders. Proverbs have become an essential part of any viable and homogeneous society which accounts for their outlook, approach and perception to life because they are believed to be the wisdom and philosophy of their fore-fathers who existed in the time past. However, Flora Nwapa use of proverb did not occur by accident but were consciously explored by the author to make her story genuine and to advance and shape the plot of her story in such a way that the work is appealing to both native and non native of her Igbo community. However, she uses proverbs to show the significance of speech form in her novels. For example, in Efuru the dilemma of female circumcision is brought out by Nwapa with the help of proverbs that the practitioner uses who comes there to help Efuru. She says: “The pain disappears like hunger”. This incident also shows how traditions are passed on from one generation to the other. Then she further use of more proverbs like 'Our elders said that he who disown his daughter or his son is a fool' ( p. 22), "If you don't think before you sleep, you break your head' (p. 36), etc.

The Use of Diction:  Diction is the choice of words use by a writer to convey his idea. The language used in Efuru by Flora Nwapa is simple and accessible. Without struggle, you can read and understand the work because of its simple use of words.

The Use of Apostrophe: Apostrophe is the act of making a direct address to a person or object that is not present e.g "Death, you do not know how to kill. Death, why do you not kill the wicked ones first?" (p. 203). Here "death" is an unseen object but it is addressed like it is present.

The Use of Flashback: Flashback is a literary technique that reveal information about a character's past, which could include disclosing personal secrets or inner conflict. The flashback may occur at any point in the work and may be of any duration and in any previous time sequence. A flashback typically extends beyond the simple narration of previous events by a character to include vivid

language regarding the setting and events, shifting the time frame into the past. In addition to relating important character background information, authors may also use flashbacks to foreshadow important events or to create interest within the chronological flow of the story. Throughout the novel, Efuru, flashback is used to reveal informations about many incident. An instance could be seen in "Efuru" when the old woman called Omeifeaka was telling Ossai about the story of how Nwakaego's daughter lost her baby because of not undergoing the circumcision ritual (p. 14). Another instance is made when Nwosu was telling Efuru about his bitter experience of how the flood destroyed his farm (p. 39). Also, we can see another salient flashback in (p. 59) when Ossai was telling her past of how she and her son, Adizua was abandoned by her husband. Just like it's said, the flashback travels from the beginning to the end of the story.

The Use of Oxymoron: Oxymoron is the incongruous or contradictory use of words. It could be simply explain as a literary device that places opposite words side by side e.g "It is a necessary evil for us" (p. 97).

The Use of Songs: Flora Nwapa made abundant use of oral poetry in her novel, Efuru, which produces elements like songs, folktales, lullabies, etc. In (p.102) of the novel, Efuru, songs are used to pass an important message. Song in broader sense teaches moral lessons, entertains, enhances creativity, informs, calms nerves and establishes bond among people.

The Use of Lullabies: Lullabies are pleasant songs used by a mother or a babysitter to lull a child to sleep. Like other forms of traditional poetry, lullabies which are a relatively described genre, tell stories about the African experience; and therefore serve as a veritable source of socio-cultural commentary on one hand, and a ventilative and therapeutic medium on the ther: composed and transmitted with individual touch from age to age. A clear example of lullaby is found in (p. 41) when Ogea was trying to lull Ogenim to sleep while crying and troubling.

The Use of Symbolism: Symbolism is a word or an image that stands for something other than literary meaning. In the novel, Efuru, Uhamiri symbolizes the paradox of womanhood. Water is a symbol of fertility and intuition, and the lake goddess personifies these attributes. Women seek her as a source of consolation and empowerment. Efuru herself also symbolizes love. We could see from her character that she loves the unloved and cares for people despite their depravity. She is a template of an ideal personality. She loves people evennthey don’t deserve to be loved and cares for them even when they have betrayed her. A few examples are how she loves her rival wife who has become a thorn in her flesh and how she promises Nwosu another loan even when he has not repaid the one he collected.

The Use of Folktales: Folktales are traditional stories or stories originated from a culture that are passed down from generation to generation through verbal utterance or with words of mouth. They are imaginative narrative in prose form. The story that constitutes a folktale may have a basis in real life but generally the story is an imaginative recreation of a memorable experience that is intended essentially to entertain rather than to record history or social experience. A folktale may be believed. Generally, however, they are considered to be untrue stories and hence not objects of serious belief. They don't belong to anybody, that's they have no author. They are told by the elders or people who have knowledge about the society. We have the use of exaggeration in folktales. Most folktales are didactic in nature, sometimes they look unbelievable. However, Flora Nwapa, in her Efuru, vividly used the African oral art to tell us some important traditional stories. This is found in (p. 106) when Eneke tells the story of how a daughter who disobeyed her mother and later resulted to marry a spirit (p. 106, 107, 108, 109).

The Use of Myths: In literature, the word myth is used to to describe a traditional story that typically aims to explain in natural or social phenomenon. Myths are traditional stories, stories that are mysterious that involve supernatural beings. They can be said to be as ancient stories about creation, origin of the people and how people live. They are also used to explain natural and unnatural in a community. In the novel, Efuru, Flora Nwapa uses myth as a vital ingredient in the creating and shaping of the plot of the stories. In the story, she used the myth of uhamiri, the goddess of the lake. Nwapa’s quest for a liberatory feminist role is reflected in the imagery of the goddess Uhammiri’s power. The allusion to the goddess prowess supports Efuru to come to an understanding of herself. As a goddess worshipper, Efuru recreates and represents the spirit in a dynamic way that serves her devotional and social needs. Through the myth of Uhamimiri, Nwapa envisions an alternative reality that seeks to correct the restrictions and societal challenges that Efuru suffers. The goddess motif is therefore a sociological devise to enable Efuru to achieve healing and solace from a turbulent society. Similarly, her emotional sense of suffering and sorrow at her childlessness impels her to have an active affiliation with the embodied divine Uhammiri.The alter for her becomes a place of transformation, a  place for positive relationship. She uses it as a place to seek Uhammiri’s divine help to sustain her relationship with her community, given that the goddess allows her to disperse the secret to wealth. At the altar of Uhammiri, Efuru displays an earthenware pot that she puts at the corner of her room, with a piece of white cloth. This ensemble reflects a confrontation of patriarchal ordained symbolic order of her society. She recreates an image of her goddess and on the days, she worships, (Orie day), she wears white, a symbolic colour that alludes to her purity, and she refrains from having any sexual relations. Efuru’s body, as a site of spirituality and positive identification is emphasized. The altar becomes for Efuru, a place of personal consciousness. She prays, meditates and focuses.  

The Point of View (POV): Point of view or narrative technique is a viewpoint in which the story is told. However, the novel, Efuru, is written in the third-person (omniscient) point of view, and there is abundant use of past tense and makes extensive use of dialogue.

Personification: Personification is the representation of an inanimate object or abstract notion that has posses the attribute of a human. Non-living object perform the function of a human e.g "tomorrow is pregnant" ( Efuru p. 132).

The Use of Suspense: Suspense is a literary device in which the audience is kept waiting for the next action that hooks with expectations and anxieties. It creates anticipation in the mind of the audience. There are many instances of suspense in the novel, Efuru. We can first examine by looking at Efuru's curiosity for her husbands' return from their journey. The first is Adizua, her first husband who travels out for many years and refuses to return back home while Efuru was eagerly waiting for his return. Also, the same thing was done by Gilbert though he returns unlike Adizua, but his delay of returning put Efuru in another suspense. 

                      SETTING

Setting is the physical environment, location, background or place which the work of take place. It also includes the time which the actions of a novel or other work of take place. However, the novel, Efuru is set in a small town in Igboland, Nigeria, in or around 1966 . It is written in the third-person omniscient past tense and makes extensive use of dialogue. Efuru comes from a well-respected family and is beautiful, kind, and entrepreneurial.

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                    Works Cited

( 1 ) Flora Nwapa (1966) .Efuru. Heinemann London. print.

( 2 ) Christ, Carol P.(1979). “Why Women Need  the Goddess. “Woman Spirit Rising”:A Feminist Reader on Religion. Harper & Row 273-287

( 3 ) Cixous Helene. (2000) “The Laugh of the Medusa” Feminist Theory: A Reader. Eds  Wendy K. Kolmar and Frances. Boston 256-262 print.

( 4 ) http://afrinotes.com

                  About the Work

This work is designed to help the students of literature in their study of 'Efuru' by Flora Nwapa, especially for the university students. It covers every parts of the text that are required in the analysis of literary work, and it is useful in project work also. However, it is impossible to be perfect. Therefore, I accept the liability for any mindless error that is found within the content of this work.

  Lene Ododomu

(B.A English, University of Abuja)

                    About the Author      

Lene Ododomu is a student of English at the University of Abuja. He hails from Whygirigha-Arogbo, Ondo state, Nigeria. He was a one time PRO of Derimobo Model College Old Students Association (DMCOSA) and currently the Vice President of the Association. He was a Legislative Member of the National Association of Students of English and Literary Studies (NASELS) University of Abuja chapter, and the Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Body. Also, he was a member of the NASELS Editorial Committee and currently an appointed member of the NASELS academic committee. Of recent, he also got another appointment as a member of the SUG TASKFORCE  by the  Executive president. He is one of the University of Abuja branch coordinators of ANA/Mbari Series. He is a lover of literature, and a literati. Inception from his time in secondary school-he has being a student teacher of literature, and was nicknamed a "Prof" by the students

body. He is a playwright, novelist and poet, researcher and student lecturer. His analyzed literary works include the following:

1. Things Fall Apart (a novel) by Chinua Achebe

2. The Gods Are Not to Blame (a play) by Ola Rotimi

3. Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again (a play) by Ola

Rotimi

4. Arrow of God (a novel) by Chinua Achebe

5. Abiku (a poem) by Wole Soyinka

6. Abiku (a poem) by J.P Clark

7. The stillborn ( a novel) by Prof. Zainab Alkali

8. The Lion and the Jewel by Wole Soyinka

9. The Jero Plays by Wole Soyinka: The Trials of Brother Jero and The Jero Metamorphosis.