Space And Identity In In The Ditch And Second-Class Citizen

Buchi Emecheta(1944-2017)was an outstanding representative of Nigerian female writers.Born in Lagos and then immigrating to England with her husband after marriage,Emecheta was fully conscious of her mixed identity as well as the survival difficulties of Black women.Based on her personal experiences,her works focus on the themes of gender oppression,racial discrimination,cultural conflicts and identity,revealing the dilemma of Nigerian women and colored immigrants during the post-colonial times.Emecheta's semi-autobiographical novels In the Ditch(1972)and Second-Class Citizen(1974)are well-received by critics for their intricate descriptions of the living conditions of African women.The two novels,jointly published as Adah's Story in 1983,are set in Nigeria and Britain after World War II;both are centered on the life experience of Adah,the heroine in the narrative.The academic circles,however,have paid inadequate attention to the identity issues in these two novels.This thesis uses Edward Soja's “Thirdspace” and bell hooks' idea of marginality to systematically explore Adah's identity.It is argued that Adah's identity crisis is attributed to homogeneous space;the key to Adah's identity reconstruction is the construction of Thirdspace and acceptance of identity fluidity.The numerous depictions of class prejudice,racism and sexism in these two novels herald the emergence of Adah's identity crisis.From Nigerian elite to a “second-class citizen”,Adah is overwhelmed by class discrimination,which is rampant and spatialized in London.She ends up being a dual “Other” excluded from both mainstream society and marginalized groups.As a woman,Adah is trapped in the predicament of sexism,which is embodied through violent and non-violent disciplines against women's bodies in social spaces.The “ditch” in the novel,as a place for immigrant women united to fight for human rights and against oppression,has gradually turned into a Thirdspace.With the construction of this space,Adah joins the community of resistance,taking use of her marginality and regaining confidence.Since the concept of “home” is closely connected to one's identity in the narrative,the subject's identities are stripped and given in the process of relocation.The fluidity of Adah's identity comes from the fluidity of space.Adah's identity reconstruction is thus consistent with her spatial exploration.Finally,Adah manages to acquire an apartment and starts a new life.The new apartment symbolizes Adah's achievement of independence and her identity reconstruction.