The spider’s web is introduced early on in Elieshi Lema’s novel Parched Earth as a metaphor for the “matrix in which we travel, sometimes blindly, because our consciousness is often colored by the primacy of our own desires…” and later in the text is used to describe the pernicious effects of patriarchy, a doctrine that the novel’s narrator, Doreen, is highly familiar with even before she learns the word. A web is also an apt description of the novel itself, as it hardly maintains a linear focus on Doreen but expands to include the perspectives of her family of origin, her husband and daughter, and her in-laws, thus asserting that no story is ever solely defined by one person.
Doreen was raised by a single mother who struggled to provide for her four children because she did not maintain relationships with their fathers. As she matures, Doreen pieces together the ignominy that befell her mother in her youth “gathered from people’s words and gestures, from the silent language of her eyes.” Doreen manages to liberate herself from poverty by becoming a teacher and moving to Dar es Salaam, the capital of Tanzania. Her older brother, Godbless, does not perform as well academically and has limited opportunities for advancement. He is particularly distressed about the absence of his father from his life and is convinced that it is partially responsible for his lack of success.
Doreen meets Martin by chance at a teaching conference that she attends in place of a colleague. The two have an intense affair and get married in a civil ceremony at a government office. Initially, their marriage proves to be a fulfilling union and Martin continues to prioritize Doreen’s needs in the way that he did during their courtship. ‘“Men make a big mistake when they invade a woman instead of walking in, slowly, carefully, calling to be welcome. Waiting to be met at the door,’ he said.” However, he gradually succumbs to the societal pressures placed upon him, particularly by his sister, Rebekah, who lives with the couple for a period of time. ‘“Women have the company of women and men have the company of men[…]” she explains to them reproachfully. Martin, feeling emasculated for enjoying the company of his wife, begins frequenting bars after work and has an extramarital affair. Doreen feels obligated to give him a son, even though they both claimed to be content with their firstborn daughter, Milika. However, she finds that she is unable to get pregnant a second time.
Doreen begins to unravel emotionally, devastated by the loss of the bond she once had with her husband. She attempts to revitalize her life, making herself “a social missionary giving free services to any relative marrying or baptizing a child.” However, even as she struggles to make the happiness of others the focus of her life, she feels bereft. She meets Joseph, a retired ambassador, in another chance occurrence, and the two develop an immediate connection. He confides in her that his wife left him for another man after twenty-two years of marriage. He channels his emotions into painting and teaches Doreen to paint. The two have in-depth philosophical conversations about the nature of relationships between men and women. It is Joseph who introduces her to the concept of patriarchy. Doreen chooses to pursue a relationship with Joseph while she is still married to Martin, drawing from the example of her mother who made herself indifferent to the judgment of those around her regarding her status as an unwed mother. In this way, she is able to get her need for companionship met while maintaining a civil yet detached attitude towards her husband.
Parched Earth touches upon many themes that are frequently explored in novels written by African women. As a protagonist, Doreen exhibits similarities to Emilienne in Angèle Rawiri’s The Fury and Cries of Women. Both women are educated and independent and struggle to preserve their autonomy after getting married. Each woman has given birth to a daughter and faces fertility issues when trying to conceive a second child. Female relatives of the women’s husbands—Martin’s sister and Emilienne’s mother-in-law—live with both couples and seek to influence their relationships. The two men betray their wives by having affairs. Though it may take time before the problems created by patriarchy are addressed at a core level, writers like Elieshi Lema demonstrate through their works of literature that women can make personal decisions that give them more agency over their lives as individuals.
Bibliography
1. “The World Factbook: TANZANIA.” Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence Agency, 14 June 2021. Web. 19 June 2021.
THE AFRICA BOOK CHALLENGE 