In his
short story "Marriage is a Private
Affair,"attempts to portray the difference between
modern Nigeria as
represented by Nnaemeka and his wife and the old traditional ways of
Nnaemeka's father, Okeke. In the world of Nnaemeka and Nene, women and men tend to be
equals.
They can be considered distinct characters because of this equality
and because, although they
are married, they are independent in their
thinking. In many ways, Nene is a modern woman and is
not afraid to express
herself. In the beginning of the story she is outspoken in her insistence
that Nnaemeka talk to his father about their upcoming marriage. Because she is
socially
liberated in her role as a spouse, she cannot imagine any problem
between Nnaemeka and Okeke
over the marriage.
Nnaemeka,
however, is not so sure and eventually learns
that his father does not
approve of the marriage. Okeke's opinion of marriages and women is
quite
different from his son's. For Okeke, a man's marriage should be arranged by his father
and
the wife should be quiet and submissive. When Nnaemeka tells Okeke that
Nene is a teacher, his
father claims that women should not be teaching and
points to a section in the bible which
indicates women should remain silent.
Rather than submitting to his father's will, Nnaemeka
marries Nene, asserting
his independence while offering the idea that the world has changed and
that
people should marry out of love and not simply because of cultural
traditions.
In the end, Nene again asserts herself by
writing a letter to Okeke informing him that
the couple has two sons who
would very much like to see their grandfather. It is this letter and
Nene's
initiative that are pivotal in the softening of Okeke's heart in the final lines of
the
story when it is suggested that he will give in and see his son's
family.
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