Orality and the Power of Silence in Yvonne Vera's Under the Tongue

Abstract

The study of orality in written texts is explored in African Literature by both writers
and critics. But despite the attempts of critics to describe as broadly as possible the
different manifestations of orality in written texts, writers have constantly shifted
to new forms of bringing together oral and written elements. One such writer is
Yvonne Vera. In this paper, I have explored the way in which Vera, in her novel Under the
Tongue, takes the use of orality a step further by ‘oralizing' the thoughts, rather than
the words, of her mute protagonist, Zhizha. This oralizing constitutes a narrative
paradox as the narrative comes from the protagonist's mute voice. Through this
strategy, Vera also manages to grant her protagonist a voice to represent herself and
tell her story of abuse. The emphasis on the abused girl does not, however, cancel
the possibility of ‘hearing the other's side' as the father-rapist's story of alienation
and powerlessness is also presented. By bringing together orality and writing as well
as the characters of the abused and the abuser, Vera points to the power of words,
speech and of telling stories as the means to fight silence and taboos.

Current Writing Vol. 19 (1) 2007: pp. 103-115