Navigating through Challenges in Marriage: A Study of Women in Ayotunde Mamudu’s Ruffled Butterflies

Abstract

The family setting is an integral part of any society and the woman plays the role of a nurturer and home maker. The rancour and discord in a home have reverberating effects on other fabrics of the society hence the need to ensure the maintenance of a harmonious and peaceful home. Anchoring the study on Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo’s snail-sense feminism, a variant of African feminism, we examine the strategies that are key to engendering peace and progress in homes as exemplified in Ayotunde Mamudu’s Ruffled Butterflies (2019). While the woman asserts herself and strives towards her personal emancipation and fulfilment, she is confronted with intimidating challenges at the home front that can pose as great threats to the actualisation of her dreams and goals. The study reveals that the strategies adopted by the woman helps her maintain a stable and happy family while ensuring that her efforts towards personal development are not undermined or thwarted. The study concludes that family members should eschew all forms of deviant behaviour that can endanger the home. It also encourages partnership and complementarity between the sexes.