Resilience and Rediscovery: War Trauma, Female Identity, and the Function of Language in Nwapa’s “One is Enough”

Afrah Abduljabbar Abdulsahib; Bahee Hadaegh

doi:10.63931/ijchr.v7iSI2.236

Authors

Afrah Abduljabbar Abdulsahib Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran
Bahee Hadaegh Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63931/ijchr.v7iSI2.236

Keywords:

War Trauma, Female Identity, Resilience, Female Potentials, Postcolonial Nigeria, Empowerment

Abstract

The present study deals with the war trauma and female identity in One is Enough by Flora Nwapa. These novel records the psychological and social effects of the Nigerian Civil War on women who break through the traditional notions of gender roles and the expectations of society. Themes of survival, agency, and empowerment are highlighted by Nwapa's specific use of language like narrative structure, symbolism, and contrast. It juxtaposes Lagos, which is synonymous to modernity and freedom against the limitations of Igbo society, driving across the primary message of female emancipation. The study possesses Judith Herman’s feminist reading to understand gender-based inequality and to work toward the elimination of sexist oppression and the empowerment of women. This theory critically examines how patriarchal systems produce and maintain gender inequality and the oppression of women, emphasizing the role of power dynamics in shaping women's experiences particularly through violence, sexual abuse, and social marginalization. This study also explores the psychological trauma and healing process of the protagonist in the novel through the lens of Judith Herman’s Trauma and Recovery theory.

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