Missus versus mistress: an analysis of the representation of the institution of polygamy in sue Nyathi’s The Polygamist

Abstract

This paper interrogates representations of the institution of polygamy and the negative impact it has on African women’s identities, economic status, psychological wellbeing as well as health in Sue Nyathi’s novel The Polygamist. The paper does not set out to condemn polygamy, but instead focuses on exploring the negative effects associated with this practice as they are represented in the selected novel under discussion. My argument in that Nyathi’s novel reveals that women are frequently pressurized into polygamous marriages due to poverty, hence there is a direct relationship between the institution and levels of economic prosperity. However, these economically dependent women experience many negative outcomes in their polygamous marriages, such as physical and sexual abuse, co-wife rivalry and unequal distribution of resources. These issues are not only represented in the novel, but also reflect current realities in Zimbabwe. Using theoretical insights from gender studies and methods of textual analysis focusing on the first-person narrative style, characterization and diction in Nyathi’s text, I explore the paternalistic dominance of the patriarch in the novel, as well as the gendered violence and psychological effects to which the female characters are subjected to. However, Nyathi, as an African feminist writer, also employs the literary technique of imaginative reconstruction to counter-hegemonically represent the text’s female characters as women who are able to redefine and reassert their identities, thereby challenging gender-based dominance and the cultural valorization of patriarchy and polygamy. This counter-hegemonic presentation of the female characters is significant, as it highlights the notion that women have the power to defy patriarchal oppression, both physical and psychological. Furthermore, it offers a study of the negative effects of polygamy on women’s mental health, and foregrounds the need for protective measures against this aspect of the practice.