Re-evaluation of Widowhood Rites and Widow’s Coping Strategies in Adebowale’s Lonely Days and Amadi’s The Trials of a Widow

Abstract

Widowhood has often been seen as a medium through which women are subjected to oppressive socio-cultural practices, ranging from economic deprivation to psychological trauma. Nigerian novelists such as Bayo Adebowale and Ray Amadi have used their works as important avenues to question and re-evaluate these practices, while also highlighting widows’ resilience and coping strategies. This study examines Adebowale’s Lonely Days and Amadi’s The Trials of a Widow. From Focu-feminist’s perspective, this article analyzes how widowhood is portrayed, the challenges the widowed protagonists- Yaremi and Egolu encounter and the coping mechanisms they adopt. Content analysis approach of qualitative research method is used. The findings reveal that widowhood becomes a space for survival, revolution and redefinition of womanhood. The paper concludes that Nigerian literature provides a powerful platform for re-evaluating cultural practices, advocating gender justice and self-rediscovery.