Nervous Conditions

A detailed Summary of Nervous Conditions


I found Dangarembga's "Nervous Conditions" a very enjoyable novel. The narrator and main character- Tambu expresses her experiences with colonialism as a child growing up from a poor African community with tremendous correctness and detail. As part of the Shona Village, Tambu's life would be predictable because the women of Shona typically display subservient roles to their male counterparts. Tambu is anything but typical. She does not like the way women are treated by simply as caretakers of children and their spouses at an early age and taking the back seat to males. Tambu is determined to be different and make something of herself through her desire to be educated.

Tambu's relationship with her brother was not surprising. I believe jealousy and envy played a part in how she felt about her brother as he was getting the education she most desired in life. His attitude bothered her as he exhibited a sense of shame for his family having experienced the luxuries of cleanliness, running water, and automobiles. Tambu wanted what he had and as her feelings for her brother diminished her desire to ga


A great deal of the novel reveals the development of Tambu as she becomes a young lady and the relationship she has with her cousin Nyasha. Tambu's narration of her new environment is exquisite. I felt like I was there in the way she described every detail and the thoughts she had with her new experience. What amazement she must have felt in the Whiteman's world with all the luxuries she had only heard about.

As Tambu and Nyasha mature you can identify the differences in their character. Tambu still represents the quiet, shy, and obedient nature of the Shona woman whereas Nyasha is more outspoken and defiant. Babamukuru doesn't understand his daughter progression into womanhood where her sexuality becomes evident. Her relationship with her father is rather torrid and when he beats her she fights back. To me, Nyasha symbolizes the original resistance to colonialism in the post-colonial era as her character is well developed in the narration of Tambu. The final chapter shows as she begins to fall apart when she struggles with an eating disorder. I believe the author meant to portray Nyasha as the symbolic nature of dist

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Approximate Word count = 764
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels

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