Moral Depravity: A Study of Yejide Kilanko’s Daughters Who Walk This Path

Abstract

This study examines the theme of moral depravity in Yejide Kilanko’s Daughters Who Walk This Path, a Nigerian novel that addresses issues of silence, betrayal, and patriarchal complicity in the perpetuation of sexual abuse. The central objective is to critically assess how Kilanko unveils moral corruption through the framework of African feminist theory. Building on the insights of African feminist thinkers such as Molara Ogundipe, Helen Chukwuma, Flora Nwapa, and Obioma Nnaemeka, the study applies feminist literary analysis to examine the roles of patriarchy, cultural taboos, and communal denial in enabling abuse. The analysis demonstrates that Kilanko depicts moral depravity not simply as individual moral failure but as a structural crisis rooted in familial, cultural, and communal systems. Morayo’s story as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse underscores the intersections of trauma, secrecy, and female resilience. The study contends that Daughters Who Walk This Path functions as both a searing critique of patriarchal oppression and a feminist vision that emphasizes the redemptive power of women’s voices, self-definition, and solidarity in advancing healing, justice, and cultural transformation.