(DE/RE) CONSTRUCTING MASCULINITIES IN STAY WITH ME, BY AYỌ̀BÁMI ADÉBÁYỌ

Abstract

Recently, African literary productions of female writing have been gaining more space in the West. The approach of themes such as female and male roles in African society and gender expectations are quite recurrent in these texts. Therefore, this senior paper had as its main objective to analyze the gender performances in two characters from the novel Stay with Me (2017), written by the Nigerian author Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀. They were: Yejide and Akin. However, the investigation centers on the character Akin and how he performs his masculinities. In order to achieve this purpose, the research relies on researchers such as Judith Butler, Oyèronké Oyěwùmí and Raewyn Connell. From the analysis, it was noticed that gender expectations, with regard to marriage, maternity and paternity, as well as masculinity, are extremely imposing in Nigerian culture, more precisely in the post-colonial Yorubá ethnic group. Consequently, the characters analyzed configure a transition process, in which they neither represent a total break with gender patterns, nor follow these expectations to the letter. It was concluded, therefore, that Akin is a man who moves in a very conflicting way between a traditional masculinity and masculine standards that move away from a hegemonic masculinity.