Predation and competition in fiction: An analysis of the oppressor/oppressed dichotomy in Ifeoma Odinye’s Pain in the Neck

Abstract

In practical term, there exists only but a thin, or perhaps an imaginary line separating the oppressors from the oppressed in every given society. This is because those who are oppressed by stronger individuals or groups also exploit their kin and even their oppressors whenever they have the opportunity to do so. This paper sought to interrogate the traditional juxtaposition of the oppressors and oppressed groups using such binary oppositions as rich/poor, male/female, white/black and so on. The Marxist Literary Theory was used to analyze the instances of exploitation and subjugation of the weak in Ifeoma Odinye’s Pain in the Neck. The findings reveal that humans have high propensity to manipulate other people around them, regardless of their social category. The analysis also unveils a novel dimension of the issue of oppressors/oppressed relationship; a situation where the oppressors feel that they are being oppressed.