Global Journal of Human Social Science, H: Interdisciplinary, Volume 22 Issue 7

Writing on mimicry in Things Fall Apart , Monica Olsson observes, that Enoch mimics what he believes a faithful Catholic should be like and Okonkwo resents men who are weak; he feels they mimic their mothers. In Nwoye’s case, it is his ambivalent efforts to become a man (10). Here, we see the character of Enoch who has just accepted the tenets of the new religion and is making serious attempts to become like them. Although he is not naturally violent, in a bid to be seen and addressed, as well as, respected by all, he goes as far as destroying the community’s oracle. What about Nwoye, he is originally a calm person but due to his father’s insults, he tries to mimic the life of hard people, but only arrives at a copy of his father. He fails in his attempts to mimic his father. She writes: Nwoye had since childhood constantly lived under his father’s watchful eyes. He tried hard to become the man his father wanted him to be, strong and masculine: “Nwoye knew that it was right to be masculine and to be violent, but somehow he still preferred the stories that his mother used to tell” (Achebe 39). Nwoye senses he needs to be masculine even if it does not reflect his nature. He does not have the ability to be emotionally tough and angry. His images of how a man should act and behave does not agree with his personality. However, he tries to imitate what he feels a man should be able to do; therefore, he begins to nag about women’s inability to do some tasks. He gets his father’s endorsement when he does this, and he ends up having contradictory feelings. His effort to mimic his father’s ideals becomes difficult for him and upholding it pushes him away from his father and the old culture. His failure manifests when he finds peace in the new religion, which his father has discouraged him from. From the above review, it is clear that the subject of mimicry has received critical attention over the years. However, each presentation differs in interpretation and adaptation of the concept. More so, Elemeforo’s Fountain of Betrayal has not been examined along the axis of postcolonial mimicry or received such critical examination. This paper, therefore, examines mimicry in Bhabha’s lenses. However, here the concept is adopted and conceived as an attempt by the female characters to measure up to the demands of their society, and their subsequent imitation of such lifestyles with the desire to be like the rich. In the text, we see a desire by the female characters to come out of their cell and live a better life. In the process, many lived in promiscuity while others on falsehood to belong. Thus, mimicry here is not an imitation of colonial masters (whites) but a desire by the female characters to be like the neocolonial agencies of state bourgeois: governors, commissioners, assembly members, and other agents of the government. III. T heoretical F ramework: P ostcolonialism Post-colonialism was developed in the early 19 th century and gained popularity in the late 20 th century. The theory offers psychological relief to the colonized. Therefore, the interest of postcolonialism is to expose the evils of colonialism in every postcolonial text in the form of mimicry or subtle resistance. It sees literature as a means to probe into the history of society by recreating its past experiences to avoid future incidences. In their book, “ The Empire Writes Back: Theory and Practice in Postcolonial Literature, Ashcroft Bill, Gareth Griffiths, and Helen Tiffin, assert that postcolonial criticism covers’’... all culture affected by the imperial process from the moment of colonization to present’’ (152). In essence, postcolonial attempts to dismantle in the words of Ayo Kehinde, “the hegemonic boundaries and determinants that create an unequal relation of power based on binary opposition such as ‘Us’ and ‘Them’, first worlds, and third world ‘white’ and the ‘Black’ colonizer and colonized (273). Postcolonialism demonstrates mimicry as a feature. It is the strategy of manipulating an aspect of colonial life: dress code, attitude, language, and culture with the intention to make a mockery of it, for its seemingly utopian status. At other times, it may exhibit repetitions of vulgarism by imitating or reproducing a colonial lifestyle that has taken centre stage in a postcolonial society as a way of resisting such oppressive tendencies and exposing its banal nature. This approach is suitable for this study because the text under study examines a manifestation of neocolonial traits, in the form of government agents, reproducing activities of colonialism: oppression and exploitation by plundering others. IV. S ynopsis of the N ovel In this episodic artwork, the writer, first of all, examines issues of double-standard with regards to moral decadence in most societies as applicable to the Niger Delta. Here, we are introduced to Bodiere and her friend Ovie who are out to make life meaningful for themselves since their immediate families have failed to do so. They form solidarity in this struggle and begin to frolic with people of the other gender as a way of achieving their dream of overcoming poverty and hegemony. The narrative reveals her immoral relationship with Amatu and chief Bogos who functions as her bailout options or sources of survival. Later, her relationship with Amatu goes sour with the pressure from her parents to go for chief Bogo. She finds it hard to do so but has no choice due to the pressure from them. Bodiere narrates her ordeals with men and how she has been deceived by many in the process of making sense out of life. She talks about Owate who © 2022 Global Journals Volume XXII Issue VII Version I 7 ( ) Global Journal of Human Social Science - Year 2022 H Mimicry in Ted Elemeforo’s Fountain of Betrayal