The Female Character in Cyprian Ekwensi's Children's Literature

In view of the prevalent outcry against female subordination, it is assumed that literary scholars are attempting to dismantle patriarchal structures that previously relegated women to subordinate roles. Through children’s literature, children imbibe the societal attitude of the time as reflected in the stories they read. This book therefore examines Cyprian Ekwensi’s mode of portrayal of female characters in his children’s literature based on four of his children’s books, The Drummer Boy, The Motherless Baby, The Great Elephant Bird and The Boa Suitor. In particular, the book is interested in the characteristics he gives female characters of different ages in these stories. The book further examines the impact of this mode of portrayal on child readers – a dimension that is enriching since children are the consumers of this literature and so their response should not be taken for granted. The analysis is useful since it provides reasonable ground for the study of children’s literature. It in turn is a contribution to gender related studies and feminist literary scholarship.