UMEAYO, MMESOMA OLIVIA (2025) THE PORTRAYAL OF POOR PARENTING IN LOLA SHONEYINS’ THE SECRET LIVES OF BABA SEGI’S WIVES. Other thesis, GODFREY OKOYE UNIVERSITY, ENUGU..
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Abstract
This research critically examines the theme of poor parenting in The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives by Lola Shoneyin, situating it within the broader context of African polygamous and patriarchal societies. Through a psychoanalytic and feminist literary analysis, the study explores how emotional neglect, secrecy, and cultural expectations shape dysfunctional family dynamics. Focusing on the psychological development of children, the emotional health of adults, and the intergenerational transmission of trauma, the research highlights how parenting failures—both maternal and paternal—are central to the novel’s narrative structure. The study identifies how unresolved childhood trauma, authoritarianism, and the distortion of parenting roles lead to emotional dislocation, identity confusion, and behavioral instability. Drawing on theories by Freud, Erikson, and Piaget, alongside critical African feminist perspectives, the research argues that Shoneyin uses her characters not just to critique gender and tradition, but to expose the often-invisible consequences of inadequate parenting. This analysis contributes to African literary scholarship by reframing the novel as a study of broken familial systems and their broader sociocultural implications. Ultimately, the research positions literature as a vital tool for understanding how personal failures in the home reflect and reinforce systemic failures in society.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Other) |
|---|---|
| Subjects: | P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) |
| Divisions: | Faculty of Arts > Faculty of Law > Faculty of Management and Social Sciences > Faculty of Education |
| Depositing User: | Uchenna Eneogwe |
| Date Deposited: | 30 May 2026 23:37 |
| Last Modified: | 01 Jun 2026 11:34 |
| URI: | http://eprints.gouni.edu.ng/id/eprint/5684 |
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