The Joys of Motherhood Literary Elements

Fiction; Coming-of-age novel

Nigeria, in a tribal village. A time period is not given.

An unnamed narrator, written in the 3rd person.

The narrator gives an unbiased account of the events, so the tone is informative yet separated. The mood is one of tenderness and compassion towards Nnu Ego.

The protagonist is Nnu Ego; her surrounding community is the antagonist.

The major conflict of the novel occurs when Nnu Ego battles the rest of her tribe in her rights as a woman and a mother, and her decision to begin to change what is typically considered traditional. By the end, she is left feeling closely attached to her children no matter what happens to them.

When Nnu Ego returns to her home village after her children have grown up and left her, and is overwhelmed with feelings of isolation and despair.

The miserable life that Nnu Ego is going to have is foreshadowed when one of Nnaife's other wives runs away to become a prostitute, as she considers it to be better than a life with Nnaife, which Nnu Ego is destined to endure.

The birthmark on Nnu Ego's face is understated as despite it having associations with slavery, as Nnu Ego spends her life as a slave to her children, the novel doesn't discuss its significance.

The novel alludes to the changing role of women in Nigeria and the fact that the 'joys of motherhood' are not always what they are intended to be.

There is imagery from the cruel spirit of Agbadi, how he treats his wives poorly and this is epitomized by the death of one of his older wives.

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There is a large parallel between Nnu Ego and her mother, Ona. They both die feeling alone and apart from their families as well as their tribes, and after devoting their lives to their children, they don't experience any rewards.

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