Abstract
This paper is a realist interpretation of Chika Unigwe’s On Black Sisters’ Street. The text is considered for study here because it dwells on the popular, the modern and social issues that define realist works. The paper involves realism of subject-matter and social realism as its theoretical tools for the evaluation of the research subject. Realism of subject-matter deals with themes that are common to society while social realism looks at the poor social conditions of the middle and lower classes. The paper is a qualitative research and it is based on a content analysis of the select text for study. The paper probes the ugly life of four young girls in Nigeria who are trafficked into Antwerp, Belgium, to work as prostitutes and earn income for their traffickers. The girls suffer from sexual abuse and deceit from their parents and older men. They undergo hardship as a result of lack of proper parental care, unemployment, insecurity and poor social services which make them frustrated. All of these make their lives vulnerable. Therefore, the study concludes that, well placed individuals, parents, civil society organizations and the government should make efforts to improve and secure the lives of vulnerable young women in Nigeria in order to help them escape from their vulnerabilities. Also, the novel’s authentic representation of life and society and its focus on character more than plot, including its attention to the lower class, the social and the contemporary issues fits it into the realist agenda.
Highlights
The great influence of the realist movement in literature was waned with the emergence of the 20th century modernism and postmodernism, which focuses on disillusionment and fragmentation caused by the horrible impacts of the 20th century world wars, realism is still a core aspect of literature, especially prose fiction, considering verisimilitude
The study concludes that, well placed individuals, parents, civil society organizations and the government should make efforts to improve and secure the lives of vulnerable young women in Nigeria in order to help them escape from their vulnerabilities
The novel, On Black Sisters Street (2010), unveils the predicaments of young girls that have been trafficked into Antwerp, Belgium to work as sex workers and earn money for their boss
Summary
The great influence of the realist movement in literature was waned with the emergence of the 20th century modernism and postmodernism, which focuses on disillusionment and fragmentation caused by the horrible impacts of the 20th century world wars, realism is still a core aspect of literature, especially prose fiction, considering verisimilitude. A host of authors such as Flora Nwapa, Buchi Emecheta, Abubakar Gimba, Chukwuemeka Ike, Festus Iyayi, Isidore Okpewho, Zainab Alkali, Femi Ademiluyi, Ifeoma Okoye, Ben Okri, Helon Habila, May Ifeoma Nwoye, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Sefi Atta, Chika Unigwe, Samuel Anula and several others followed suit with numerous publication of novels that reveal the pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial social, political and environmental realities Such themes common to their works include; the traumatic experiences of colonialism, post-colonial political instability, the Nigerian civil war, military dictatorship, ethnic bigotry, poverty, corruption, bad leadership, insecurity, emerging social trends in urban areas, subjugation of women, girl-child abuse, emigration, environmental degradation and diasporic experiences among others. The paper starts with introduction which gives an insight to the topic of discussion followed by review of literature, statement of the theoretical framework, analysis of the select novel and conclusion
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