REWRITING THE VICTIM'S NARRATIVE IN AWANOSE ODAFEN'S TOMORROW I BECOME A WOMAN AND AYOBAMI ADEBAYO'S STAY WITH ME

ABSTRACT This research examines female struggles in traditional Nigerian society, and how they have successfully changed their hitherto narrative of subjugation and abuse to assert themselves as humans with dignity and pride. Previous studies focus mostly on the stereotypical representation of females in prose fiction and female marginalisation in patriarchal societies. However, little scholarly attention has been given to the way females navigate out of patriarchal oppression and assert themselves. It is against this backdrop that the study aims to show how female narratives are reconstructed in Odafen's Tomorrow I Become a Woman and Adebayo's Stay with Me, with a view to examining how cultural and societal norms influence female experiences, how they reconstruct their narratives, and the strategies to resist patriarchal agency and assert themselves in the selected texts. Clenora Hudsons-Weems' Africana womanism was adopted as the framework, while using interpretive research design. The theory was adopted because of its relevant tenets, especially regarding women emancipation in Africa. The two prose texts were purposively selected based on their relevant thematic preoccupation. The study shows that women suffer various levels of patriarchal prejudices, especially because of cultural norms and societal expectation. However, the women find strength in their misery and change their narratives via resilience and bonding, and solidarity. Therefore, the research concludes that females have conquered their fears and employ the tools of resilience and bonding to overcome their challenges, thereby rewriting their narratives, and asserting themselves as people with dignity and high self-esteem.