Feminist Dimensions in Sefi Atta’s Everything Good Will Come.docVIP

Feminist Dimensions in Sefi Atta’s Everything Good Will Come 　　Jonas E. Akung1,* 　　1 Ph.D, Department of English and Literary Studies, University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria. 　　* Corresponding author. 　　 　　Received 31 November 2011; accepted 23 January 2012. 　　Abstract 　　Sefi Atta’s debut novel Everything Good Will Come (2006) examines the growing up of a child from adolescence to adulthood. Through these various forms of growth the heroine becomes aware of her environment and how it affects her. This paper seeks to explore how these dimensions help in shaping the vision of the woman. The female characters in this novel are very assertive and utilize all means available to them to affirm their individualitsy. The paper also examines the socio-economic and political landscape of Nigeria and how its affect the psychology of the woman. The paper submits that the woman cannot continue in the space defined for her by the society; she must fight for her space both in the home and in the larger society. She must speak out because silence is no longer golden; it has become a destructive metaphor. 　　Key words: Assertiveness; Growth; Education; Rights awareness; Silence kitchen. 　　Jonas E. Akung (2012). Feminist Dimensions in Sefi Atta’s Everything Good Will Come. Studies in Literature and Language, 4(1), -0. Available from: URL: /index.php/sll/article/view/j.sll.1923156320120401.1930 DOI: /10.3968/j.sll.1923156320120401.1930 　　INTRODUCTION 　　The Nigerian feminist novels have moved from the themes of women in village or traditional settings with docile female characters who only look up to men as their benefactor to novels that have vibrant and assertive female characters. The new feminist novels explore new dimensions that would help the woman’s cause. These dimensions include: education and career, activism and participation. The women are no longer the occupiers of the solitary spaces in the kitchen; they are now at the forefront leading other women to achi