Representations of Women in Ike Oguine A Squatters Tale :: Squatters Tale Essays

Representations of Women in A Squatters TaleWomen set up be perceived or looked at in many ways. They are depicted not only as mothers, but also as friends, companions, and even prostitutes. instantlys society has a variety of images of what they feel women should be and what they actu every(prenominal)y are. Likewise in Ike Oguines A Squatters Tale, women are visualised through various roles such as mothers, girl friends or companions, and prostitutes to reflect the society. First, mothers are backbones of the family. When hard times are experienced, they are the ones who keep the family together. Women provide much than financial support to the family. They are the sense of hope and encouragement to keep the household running smoothly. In A Squatters Tale, obis mother is the one who, even in hard times, keeps holding on trying to get through the difficulties. The love she has for her family is what gives her the strength to give all she can to her family. When Obis fa mily move from their Yaba house to a three-bedroom flat in the outer reaches of Isolo, as a result of the sudden retirement of Obis father, their struggles for survival increase. Obis mother would shoot everyday from Isolo to her shop in Yaba. The drive she endures everyday is very long and tiring. Obi knows his mother is endure a lot for the family as Oguine establishes this sense of hardship by stating in Obis words, From our new home my mother had to do a fiendish drive to her shop in Yaba every morning (leaving behind two disabled men my father and me brooding in the living room all day in front of the shiny black Sony Trinitron 21 TV I bought when I was treasury manager in BTF) and another hellish drive back every evening through the most chaotic traffic in the whole of Lagos. (113-114) The struggle of the drive alone is hard for Obis mother. When her car breaks down after ten years, the battle against hardships is about to be lost, because, in addition to w orking extremely hard, she is being put through hell. Obi realizes what the struggle is doing to his mother the day she comes home after her car has broken down.