Analysis of styles, themes in May Ifeoma Nwoye’s writings

A review of Ezekiel Fajenyo’s The Writings of May Ifeoma Nwoye: A Critical Literary Analysis by Paul Liam.

Ezekiel Fajenyo’s exploits in the field of literary criticism and scholarship have rightly established him as one of the few hard-working critics engaging through critical studies, Nigerian literature today. With several critical titles to his name, Fajenyo’s reputation as an important critic in Nigerian literature is not in doubt, thus his exploration of the issues and ideologies of the writings of one of Nigeria’s famous female writers, May Ifeoma Nwoye, further concretises his unsung reputation. For several decades now, Fajenyo has continued to engage Nigeria’s literary creatives and their productions through critical analyses that offer insightful perspectives while at the same time drawing the public’s attention to the aesthetics, philosophy and social constructs that underly the crux of their works. It therefore suffices to posit that a critical analysis of Nwoye’s writings could not have been undertaken by a more competent critic.

Fajenyo’s critical analysis of May Ifeoma Nwoye’s writings is an instructive incursion that exposes the leitmotif of her artistic expressions and provides a profound context for anyone interested in reading or researching into the works of that formidable author. The five hundred and eighty-eight page book begins with a biographical sketch, in chapter one subtitled “General Introduction” he x-rays the history of her birth, education and scholarship, as well as her glorious attainments in life. May Ifeoma Nwoye, a distinguished accountant and academic has perhaps published more works of creative fiction than many of her contemporaries. Trained professionally as an accountant, her love for creative writing has earned for her a reputation that her career as an accountant has failed to accord her, and this fact is succinctly reflected in the book.

According to the author: “She had loved drama right from the beginning and would have in fact gone to the university to read it for a degree since she was very good at English and literature, as well, a member of the Dramatic Society, and was actually inspired by a reverend sister at the convent school she attended in Onitsha. Though she could not read Drama, she later returned from the USA after her degrees to embrace writing: “It is that drama, the writing, literature, novels, art, that many now know me for, not even the profession for which I was trained.” (p.11)

Nwoye’s family and fate also played a part in her academic pursuit as the author informs us that her eventual studying of accountancy was chiefly to please her parents who wanted her to read it because of her father’s business, even though her true love lay with English and literature. The role of fate in an individual’s life cannot be overridden by the machinations of man, thus Nwoye, in spite her reading a different course turned out a celebrated writer with several books to her name.

This interesting twist of Nwoye’s life as depicted in the book is certain to inspire a lot of readers who may be facing a similar reality in life.

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Fajenyo, after executing what can be described as a mini-biography of the author and establishing in summary the crux of her art, shifts attention in chapter two to her first novel, Endless Search, which is also the title of the chapter. Here, Fajenyo provides an in-depth analysis of the various themes and social issues in the novel; principally, he draws attention to the politics and social construct of marriage in African societies. He asserts:

“Essentially, through both families, Nwoye was (is) able to explore, in depth and with artistic conviction, the concept of marriage – its characteristics, people’s response to it, its difficulties and how it should be handled. Though marriage as an institution should be fulfilling, fruitful, attractive and noble, the picture encountered in this novel was (is) one of an endless search for acceptance, trust, nobility, understanding, tolerance, fortitude and discipline; marriage could be frustrating, molesting, tempestuous, colourless, unromantic, mischievous, trying, envy-igniting, and entrapping.” (41)

Nwoye’s writings by the author’s position is an aggregation of a conscientious inquisition into the nature of human relationships and the underlying constrictions of the society. The author, through this critical analysis, deconstructs as well as establishes the link between literature and the larger human society, via the writings of Nwoye. This supposition can be deduced in chapter three: “Tides of Life” which is also one of Nwoye’s tittles. According to Fajenyo: “Nwoye’s satire is energised by the commonplaceness of the events which she writes about; we found in the work a succinct imagery of the erratic officials and the existing filthy social situation.” (125)

The reader of Fajenyo’s book is bound to be exposed to the doses of Nwoye’s philosophic and social commitment as a writer, plus the author’s interpretations of what these representations mean for the larger society. The book is chiefly an analysis of the styles and themes of Nwoye’s works in their various shades and their implications for the human society, thus the theme of social consciousness runs through to the ninth chapter of the book.

Fajenyo attempts to locate Nwoye’s narratives within the larger marxist pontification of literature as being capable of rendering concrete services to the society. In other words, Fajenyo perceives Nwoye’s writings as having fundamental social functions.

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